American Idol Season 24: New Format, New Location, New Judge

American Idol is gearing up for its 24th season, introducing significant format and location changes alongside a refreshed judging panel.

Premiere Details

Season 24 is scheduled to premiere on Monday, January 26, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Episodes will air weekly on Mondays and will be available for streaming on Hulu the following day.

Judging Panel and Host

The judging panel will see the return of Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. They will be joined by former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, who steps in for her second season, replacing Katy Perry.

Ryan Seacrest will continue his role as host, a position he has held since the show's inception in 2002.

Format Changes

For the first time in the show's history, American Idol will incorporate social voting, allowing viewers to cast their votes for contestants live on social media platforms. Traditional text and phone voting methods will still be available.

This innovative change aims to engage younger demographics and broaden viewer participation.

Location Shift

Season 24 auditions were held exclusively at Belmont University in Nashville, a departure from previous seasons that typically involved auditions in multiple cities. Consequently, the traditional "Hollywood Week" round has been rebranded as "Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover" and will also take place in Nashville.

Ohana Round Introduction

Replacing the initial "Hollywood Week" segment will be the "Ohana Round," a new three-episode segment filmed at the Aulani Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. In this new round, a focus group composed of "industry tastemakers," including Shirley Halperin (co-editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone) and cultural commentator Evan Ross Katz, will provide input to the judges regarding contestant selections before the public vote opens.