ICYMI - The week in TV for May 19-25, 2019 | Gallery

By Jessica Wedemeyer 8:24am PDT, May 24, 2019

"American Idol" finale ends in an upset, Katy Perry might have accidentally hinted at why

Laine Hardy pulled off a surprise upset over presumed frontrunner Alejandro Aranda — the judges' clear favorite — on the Season 17 finale of "American Idol" on May 19. Laine's victory might have had something to do with the fact that he performed covers of popular songs that resonated more with voters, whereas Alejandro performed four of his own original songs, which wowed the judges but ultimately failed to make an impact with "AI" fans. Said judge Katy Perry on the subject of original songs on the show, "Some would say in the past, 'American Idol'… is a bit of a karaoke show. Not anymore. When people like you come on, you bring original music. You bring artistry, and you make the stakes even higher."

"NCIS" closes Season 16 with huge guest shocker

Cote de Pablo's former NCIS and Mossad agent Ziva David — presumed dead since Season 13 — made her big return to "NCIS" on the Season 16 finale on May 21. The fan-favorite character, who was revealed to be alive and living in hiding on a February episode of the hit CBS procedural, appeared in the season's final seconds to warn her former boss, Mark Harmon's Gibbs, that he's in danger. Cote is set to guest star on the premiere of Season 17 later this year.

"Game of Thrones" fans slam finale: "Worst episode of the entire series"

"Game of Thrones" came to an end on May 19 after eight seasons on HBO, but not everyone loved the series finale. Many fans took to social media to complain about how things ended — specifically the decision to give the crown to Bran Stark. "We came all this way for the useless #BranStark to be the new King of Westeros? Let the log show I am displeased," tweeted one fan, according to People magazine. Another fan called the finale "the worst episode of the entire series," while yet another "GoT" stan griped that it was "quite possibly the worst finale of a series" ever.

"The Voice" recap: And the winner is…

John Legend protégé Maelyn Jarmon, who shared a sweet duet of "Angel" with Sarah McLachlan, bested Blake Shelton's three country crooners to win Season 16 of "The Voice" on May 21. Gyth Rigdon, who performed "Take My Hand" with Darius Rucker, came in second, while Dexter Roberts placed third and Andrew Sevener rounded out the top four. (Dexter sang "That's Country Bro" with Toby Keith and Andrew Sevener sang "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" with Travis Tritt.)

Jamie Foxx hilariously breaks character after line flub on "Live in Front of a Studio Audience"

Jamie Foxx briefly broke character after flubbing a line on ABC's "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons" on May 22. "It's live. Everyone sitting at home just think their TV just messed up," he said, sending co-stars Woody Harrelson, Ellie Kemper, Anthony Anderson, Marisa Tomei and Ike Barinholtz, as well as the live studio audience, into fits of giggles. After struggling to stop laughing himself, the Oscar-winning actor finally got out the line. He then pointedly turned to the audience, which broke out in thunderous applause.

Meghan McCain demands to be taken seriously by "The View" co-hosts

On the May 21 episode of "The View" — during a discussion about whether or not Donald Trump deliberately attempted to obstruct justice and therefore deserves to be impeached — Meghan McCain, per usual, butted heads with her left-leaning co-stars. The trouble started when the conservative talking head tried to make a point about Trump's popularity in certain parts of the country, prompting jokes from her fellow panelists that the president imported supporters into his May 20 rally in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. The jokes clearly left Meghan feeling defeated. Later in the show, she implored her castmates to respect her opinions, saying, "I come here every day trying to show a different perspective, and I understand every day that I walk into this building and basically when I walk out of my apartment, it's an unpopular one, but I do think it's important to know what's going on in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, and why… people would travel to see [Trump]. He's still incredibly popular in states where it matters." When her comments still failed to make an impact, she huffed, "I'm not changing your minds this morning, and honestly, I've said all I have to say."

George R. R. Martin writes about the "real" ending of "Game of Thrones"

In a May 20 blog post, George R. R. Martin said goodbye to HBO's "Game of Thrones," an adaptation of his "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, which has yet to conclude. After promising that he's still actively writing the sixth installment in the series, "The Winds of Winter," the author addressed whether or not his books will end the same way the show did. "How will it all end? I hear people asking. The same ending as the show? Different? Well… yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes," he wrote, explaining that because his series is far more expansive than the TV adaptation, much more ground will be covered in the upcoming books. "There are characters who never made it onto the screen at all, and others who died in the show but still live in the books… so if nothing else, the readers will learn what happened to [them]," he wrote. "Book or show, which will be the 'real' ending? It's a silly question. … How about this? I'll write it. You read it. Then everyone can make up their own mind, and argue about it on the internet."

"The Chi" star Jason Mitchell fired amid allegations of inappropriate behavior

According to a May 20 Deadline report, Showtime cut ties with "The Chi" star Jason Mitchell over allegations of inappropriate behavior. (He starred on the drama, which was recently renewed for a third season, as food truck entrepreneur Brandon.) Before he got the boot from "The Chi," Netflix dropped Jason from the upcoming dramedy "Desperados" after producers "received information about an alleged off-set incident." Jason's talent agency, UTA, and management company have also cut ties with him. Deadline reports that the 32-year-old actor "had previously been under scrutiny over an alleged inappropriate behavior situation on ['The Chi'] involving a female co-star, which had been resolved." In 2016, he was reportedly investigated for assault after a woman accused him of slamming her to the ground in a Boston hotel.