It's confirmed that judges Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie, and Luke Bryan are officially returning for another season of American Idol. The TV talent show will be graced by these multi-talented judges when it returns in the spring of 2020.
American Idol, the original music competition series, has dominated Sunday nights, proving that there is still so much undiscovered talent from all over America. The iconic show, which has been around since the turn of the millennium, ran for 15 seasons on FOX, later being reprised by ABC (this is technically American Idol's third season on ABC, totaling 18 seasons across both platforms). The show has catapulted a multitude of everyday singers into superstardom. There were the original judges - Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell - that were the iconic trio for the first eight seasons, and subsequent judges included Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Harry Connick Jr., and Keith Urban.
According to ABC, the three beloved judges from the past two seasons will be returning in 2020 for the network's third season. Executive producer and showrunner Trish Kinana confirmed it, saying, "We are delighted to have our judges Katy, Luke and Lionel, as well as in-house mentor Bobby back on American Idol." She expressed why their superstardom helps in the search of finding the next big thing in music, saying:
"They are all credible, hugely successful artists and will bring their expertise, passion, and energy to the search for America's next superstar."
She spoke of what makes this group of judges so special, adding, "They have an undeniable chemistry together making for another fun and exciting season!" Also, Ryan Seacrest will remain host and face of American Idol for the upcoming season as well. Katy, Luke, and Lionel will be taking part in the nationwide search to 21 additional cities across the country. Kinana also explained that fans have surprise elements within the show to look forward to in the upcoming season.
American Idol has been a staple in music competition shows, even though it's hardly the first (shout out to Star Search). And, with this generation's new trio of judges - coming close to giving Simon, Paula, and Randy a run for their money - fans have plenty to look forward to in the upcoming season from the judges alone. Whether or not the surprises that Kinana hinted at pay off in a positive way remains to be seen, but the new season of American Idol - which will be premiering in spring of 2020 on ABC - appears to be moving in the right direction.
Source: ABC