In a season that returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe promised would be focused squarely on the talent, much of the talk after the first two weeks of "American Idol" auditions has been on the new judges and the ratings dips.

But in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lythgoe said he's not sweating the numbers at this point because he knows there's some serious singers on the horizon.

"You haven't really seen how strong the talent is yet," he said after the hype from new judge Steven Tyler about Nashville teen Lauren Alaina's audition. "We can afford to lose 10 great ones this year because they're that good!"

While the press has made note of the slight ratings dip for the first few episodes (keeping in mind that "Idol" is still far and away the top-rated show on TV every week), Lythgoe said that unlike his first time around, he's no longer paid to worry about the numbers. "Now I'm paid to make the best show I can," he said. "So I've always tried to steer clear and say, 'Look, you worry about the ratings, I'm just going to make the best show.' "

But last week, amid stories about the declining season-over-season figures, he got a bit worked up, reminding the Reporter that the show had 26 million viewers. "I'm really happy with that," he insisted.

He said he's also very pleased so far with Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, who he said have quickly helped right the ship after the uncertainty that followed lead judge Simon Cowell's departure last year.

"You forget that we've had this train wreck that was following Simon, and then Simon disassociated himself from the show over the last few years, turned his back on the strange people they brought in to judge," he said, seemingly referring to ex-"Idol" panelists, songwriter Kara DioGuardi and comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. "So I knew it was going to be better than people expected. To have lost our star and to be in our 10th season is remarkable. It's broken more records than any other program, including 'M*A*S*H.' It's stunning, but at the end of the day, it comes down to talent."

The new judging panel is one of many changes Lythgoe has overseen, and he admitted that even he's not sure yet how the new in-house mentor, Interscope Records boss Jimmy Iovine, will fit into the mix. "I don't know how it's going to work yet, I don't think any of us do," he said of making Iovine a regular on the show. "All we know is that we've got someone with golden ears who's going to turn these people into superstars."

He pointed to season two winner Ruben Studdard, who he suggested should have been as big a star as late R&B great Luther Vandross, if not for Studdard's label mistakenly trying to turn "the velvet teddy bear" into an urban artist.

That's why he's excited about Iovine and his team of superstar producers — Ron Fair, Rodney Jerkins and Tricky Stewart — working their magic on the eventual winner and helping them choose the right songs. "I always worry about being called a karaoke show," he said. "The accusations are always going to be there, but I figure, if we're working with the best people in the music business now, some of those criticisms will go away."

After some confusion, Lythgoe clarified that theme weeks will be back, but stressed that the producers will not make the finalists go completely out of their comfort zone simply for the sake of adhering to that week's musical style.

"What we're not going to say is, 'You've got to sing a rock 'n roll song this week,' because that doesn't happen in real life," he said.

"You don't say to a pop singer like Lady Gaga or to a country artist like Faith Hill, 'You have to sing rock.' But somewhere in the Elton John catalogue, you're going to have to find a song that suits your own voice."

"Idol" is back Wednesday night (February 2) with a two-hour look at the Austin, Texas, audition round before moving on to San Francisco for Thursday night's show.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.