'American Idol' Season 19: Release date, judges, host, mentor and all you need to know about ABC singing reality show

Legendary trio Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry are back for the fourth time in a row as judges on the upcoming season of 'American Idol'. Here's what you need to know about it.
UPDATED FEB 1, 2021
(ABC)
(ABC)

'American Idol' has completed almost two decades on television. There are always these little moments sprinkled over the episodes each season that spark joy and laughter among audiences, mostly families that band together to watch it. A new season of this long-standing series is gearing up for premiere soon. Here's what you need to know about it. 

Release date

Season 19 of 'American Idol' will start airing on Valentine's Day 2021. Starting February 14, a new episode of the singing reality competition series will air every Sunday between 8 and 10 pm ET. This will mark the fourth season of 'American Idol' on ABC that acquired rights to the series in May 2017. Prior to that, it used to air on FOX and the final episode on the network aired on April 7, 2016. 

Plot

'American Idol' Host Ryan Seacrest, Judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan along with Mentor Bobby Bones (ABC)

Adapted from the original format from the United Kingdom's 'Pop Idol', a brainchild of TV personality Simon Fuller, 'American Idol' too follows the same premise. Judges scour the country in search of the most talented singers starting age 15 and upward who then compete for the winning title and a recording contract. There's a number of tone-deaf artists thrown into the mix during the audition rounds that even though used as filler, make up for a huge chunk of entertainment.

Judges 

'American Idol' judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan (ABC)

The legendary trio of Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were the judges of the past three seasons of 'American Idol' that aired on ABC. The network confirmed in November 2020 that they'll be bringing them back yet again for the fourth time to judge Season 19. 

Host

'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest (ABC)

Ryan Seacrest has hosted 'American Idol' since its inception. For the first season, comedian and actor Brian Dunkleman had appeared as a co-host with Seacrest, the rest of the seasons were singlehandedly presented by the radio and TV personality who will also be returning for Season 19. 

Mentor

'American Idol' mentor Bobby Bones (ABC)

Over the years, there's been a number of mentors who've come to advise the contestants and help them add a new layer to their performances. Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Dolly Parton, Peter Noone and Nick Jonas are a few names that have shown up to help the budding superstars. Bobby Bones has been an in-house mentor of the series for a couple of seasons now and ABC confirmed his return again for Season 19. 

Creators

'American Idol' is produced by Fremantle and Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment. Executive producers include Fremantle’s Trish Kinane, also serving as showrunner, Jennifer Mullin and Megan Wolflick, with Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman serving as executive producers for 19 Entertainment. 

Trailer

'American Idol' Season 19 judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan (ABC)

There's no trailer yet for Season 19. Bookmark this page and return in a few days for fresher updates.

If you like this, you will love these:

'America's Got Talent'

'America's Got Talent: The Champions'

'The Voice'

'Songland'

RELATED TOPICS AMERICAN IDOL (2002) ABC TV NETWORK NEW MOVIE RELEASES SONGLAND AMERICA'S GOT TALENT (2006)

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Carrie Bradshaw enamoured by the Eiffel Tower was mirrored by Lily Collin's character in season 5
9 hours ago
Among the finale's soundtrack, one song stood out, with the Duffer Brothers admitting it was a miracle they managed to secure the rights
14 hours ago
'Jujutsu Kaisen' Season 3 begins its final saga with a double-episode premiere, launching the brutal Culling Games this Winter
14 hours ago
The police procedural drama will feature a major shift in its storyline, and Gina Rodriguez might not be seen anytime soon
14 hours ago
The series premiered on Wednesday, October 1, and went on a break after its fall finale aired on Wednesday, November 12
15 hours ago
Emily Cooper isn’t done yet! Netflix confirms 'Emily in Paris' Season 6 with more fashion, romance, and love triangles
15 hours ago
The ninth episode of 'Tracker' Season 3 saw Justin Hartley's Colter Shaw getting shot and crashing his car
15 hours ago
Sam Elliott's devastating 'Landman' monologue about aging and loss has fans calling it the season's most powerful TV moment
16 hours ago
The creative brainchild of R. Scott Gemmill, 'The Pitt' Season 2 will premiere on Thursday, January 8
18 hours ago
'The Rookie' Season 8 kicks off with a high-stakes Prague mission, shocking escapes, and life-changing choices for John Nolan and the LAPD
19 hours ago