'American Idol' 16 Rolls Out Mar. 11 with New Judges, Ryan Seacrest, and Hundreds of Aspiring Singers
Fans of the long-running singing competition television series "American Idol" are excited for season 16. The next hurrah of the competition will premiere Mar. 11 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC with new judges and, of course, Ryan Seacrest.
After a number of years running on FOX, the next season will be airing on ABC after the media giant acquired complete rights to the series. Season 15 judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban are out for season 16. The series once again recruited three high-caliber music superstars for the next season. First is the iconic pop and rock star Katy Perry. Next up is Academy Award-winning singer and songwriter Luke Bryan. Finally, Grammy recipient and music legend Lionel Richie. All three were confirmed by ABC, and Primetime Emmy winner Ryan Secreast will come back to host the show.
The first couple of episodes will air pre-recorded auditions of aspiring singers who made it through. According to Golden Derby, the first five episodes will be about auditions followed by the Hollywood week and the showcase rounds of the competition. The finale is slated on May 21, and live shows will start airing on Apr. 22 until the finale. Fans of the show are now excited to see the contestants as they sing their way to the top.
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With season 16 just around the corner, the show is already making headway in finding music stars to perform alongside the finalists. According to Variety, "American Idol" is looking to enlist big names like Luis Fonsi, Bebe Rexha, and Toni Braxton in the final rounds. There are still no confirmations, however, from the series nor ABC, but people are already excited to see who will be hitting the stage alongside the top contestants.
The premiere episode of "American Idol" season 16 is scheduled on Sunday, Mar. 11, a perfect way to start off the week. The show teased fans with a short clip from one of the auditions wherein Bryan helped an auditionee in tuning his guitar. Richie is seen saying, "We are a full service operation, ladies and gentlemen."
