For me, Idol has lost something seriously special with the departure of Simon. Tyler and Lopez are fun and add something different to the show, but I feel a big void with Simon's absence. That brutal honesty is gone, replaced by JLO not wanting to say no to ANYBODY, and Tyler hitting on every girl that walks through the doors.
Simon's departure signaled the end of an era, but probably not the end of the show. It's just too popular. Hopefully it gets better.
The only reason Simon left was so he could come back. You wait and see. He'll be back.