'American Idol' Renewed for Season 2 at ABC

Contestants will be headed to Hollywood again to battle it out to become the next top singer for a [...]

By Allison Schonter

Contestants will be headed to Hollywood again to battle it out to become the next top singer for a second year in a row after ABC announced Friday that its reboot of American Idol has been renewed for a second season at the network.

ABC has given American Idol, the singing competition that has kept viewers glued to their screens and repeatedly voting for almost 20 years, the greenlight for a second season at the network, according to Deadline.

"We knew that American Idol on ABC would unleash an opportunity for singers from all walks of life to realize their dreams and that these incredible contestants would have America rooting for their success," Channing Dungey, ABC Entertainment president, said of the renewal. "I am thrilled that Katy, Luke, Lionel and Ryan will be back to once again embark on this Idol journey with us to discover the next crop of inspiring talent."

The renewal of the series marks its second season at ABC, but 17th season overall.

Debuting in March, the series has brought the network stellar ratings, putting up a battle for competition singing competition series The Voice on NBC.

In its first outing since its series finale on Fox in April 2016, American Idol delivered ABC an average 2.3 key demo rating and 10.3 million viewers over its two-hour premiere. Those numbers brought the network its best rating since at least November 2014 and its largest audience since October 2012.

ABC and producers FremantleMedia breathed new life into the series in June 2017, negotiating a deal to bring the singing competition to ABC after its 15-season run on Fox ended in 2016.

It was later announced that Ryan Seacrest would be returning to host the competition.

"It's genuinely hard to put into words what American Idol means to me. I'm so grateful for the show and all the career and life opportunities it's allowed me to experience. It's been an incredible journey from day one. To be asked to return this year, at my new home at Disney/ABC, is an honor, if not a bit surreal," he said at the time.

In September, after months delays, deliberations and desperation, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry were announced as the three judges for the reboot. While Perry signed on for $25 million, Seacrest reportedly signed on to host the reboot for somewhere between $10 and $15 million. Bryan will be making about $13 million, and Richie $10 million.

American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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