The question, in the wake of the shocking bloodbath at "The X Factor" over the past two days that axed three of five cast members, is just how bad off is "X Factor."
The answer is perhaps not as bad as you'd think.
The show is troubled for sure. A major cast overhaul is always a sure sign of problems.
But more than anything "Factor" was a victim of its own expectations.
Star and executive producer Simon Cowell predicted early on that "Factor" would challenge "American Idol" for first place. When it failed to do so, as it did, disappointment was sure to set in, and it did.
But the show's performance was actually quite decent over its first season.
"Factor" averaged a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating on Wednesdays and a 3.7 on Thursday, ranking in the top 15 shows this season and third among all new shows, behind only CBS's "2 Broke Girls" and Fox's "New Girl."
And "Factor" boosted Fox's Wednesday and Thursday night averages by 48 percent and 46 percent, respectively, last fall. That's a huge accomplishment.
But those numbers, solid as they were, weren't anything near what Cowell had predicted. And the show was consistently beaten in its timeslot by ABC's "Modern Family."
"Factor" has already been renewed for a second season. There's still plenty of room for improvement after this week's big shakeup.
Cowell fired host Steve Jones, judge Nicole Scherzinger and his old pal Paula Abdul, also a judge.
The first two firings were inevitable. Neither Jones nor Scherzinger was a good fit, and the show will be better off without them.
Cowell's greatest mistake may have been recruiting Abdul to join him on "Factor." It made the comparisons to "Idol" inevitable, and it highlighted how poorly "Factor" held up in comparison.
But the firings, brutal as they were, may help the show fix its problems, one of which was a lack of buzz during the season.
People are now buzzing about "X Factor" seven months before its second-season debut, which certainly can't hurt.
All the judge turnover for "Idol" over the years has helped keep interest in the show alive, even after Cowell left.
Reality shows rarely find the perfect mix in their first season. Even "Idol" went from two co-hosts in its first season to just one host in season two, an approach that worked much better.
Can "Factor" be fixed? The answer is perhaps.
To improve "Factor" will need to bring in a really big name as a judge, someone who will bring in both their own fans and those curious to see how the celebrity will mix with the caustic Cowell.
"Idol" succeeded with that strategy by tapping Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, both famous in their own rights before joining the show. Mariah Carey's name has been mentioned in the early going as a "Factor" judge, and she is an interesting choice; she'd certainly stand up to Cowell.
"Factor's" biggest problem, however, may simply be its timing. There are a glut of singing competitions on TV, most notably "Idol" and the soon-to-return "The Voice," both of which have stronger followings than "Factor."
If people are getting sick of the format, which is now on all year long when you include summer's "America's Got Talent," no amount of cast shakeups will help "Factor" become the sort of smash Cowell always hoped.
And Fox will have to decide whether an underwhelming "Factor" is enough.
