IT might be a very long summer for Paula Abdul, but not for “American Idol.”

In the wake of allegations and an internal investigation that the “American Idol” judge coached a former contestant while he was on the show, TV experts believe it’s all good. Even the bad.

“I think this will have a minimal negative impact on the show,” says Horizon Media’s Brad Adgate. “In fact, it may possibly have a positive impact because if anything, it draws more attention to the show. This is just another scenario that keeps ‘American Idol’ at the forefront of pop culture.”

Fox officials declined to speculate on the effect the accusations against Abdul might have on the show or its advertisers.

And even the show’s advertisers, who rely on its squeaky-clean image to sell products, are waiting to see what may come out of an internal investigation into the matter by “Idol” producers.

“We support Fox’s position in the matter as well as their interest in further investigating the situation,” says a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola – one of the show’s biggest sponsors.

Adgate says the allegations by former “Idol” contestant Corey Clark are just the latest scandal to hit the show, and none of the program’s previous indiscretions hurt its popularity.

Last Wednesday night, the “Idol” results show drew 24.5 million viewers, up more than two million from two weeks earlier.

He thinks the only situation that would hurt “Idol” is if the network started airing more than one series a year.

“Fox has been very smart about that so far,” Adgate says.

In the past, Fox executives quietly conceded that it’s been hard to show restraint, but understand that the program’s once-a-year frequency helps keep “Idol” fresh.