'American Idol': How to Watch, What Time and What Channel Is the Season 4 Premiere

American Idol starts its fourth season on ABC Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. This is the [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

American Idol starts its fourth season on ABC Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. This is the first full season to take place during the coronavirus pandemic, which had forced delays in the middle of last year's season. This year, singers were allowed to audition using Zoom between August and October. There were also some open call auditions before producers picked contestants who could perform before the judges. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are all back, with Ryan Seacrest as host and Bobby Bones as a mentor again.

For those who are not near a television tonight but would still like to watch the premiere, there is an ABC.com live stream available in certain markets. The full list of markets can be found by clicking here. Many local ABC stations are also available to watch on internet TV platforms like YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling, and Hulu Plus Live TV. The episode will also be available to stream the day after it airs at ABC.com and Hulu. The premiere is two hours and is followed by an episode of The Rookie.

The major headline for American Idol Season 4 is that the auditions will include a tryout from Claudia Conway, the daughter of former President Donald Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway and Trump critic George Conway. Conway, 16, filmed her appearance back in November and shared footage on her TikTok page. She flew out to Los Angeles for the tryout and said she met Seacrest. Earlier this month, she returned to Twitter ahead of the premiere. ABC also shared Conway's TikTok video on Twitter on Feb. 8.

After ABC confirmed she would appear in the premiere episode, Conway shared another TikTok video about her appearance on Idol and insisted she had a background in music and performing. She was not doing this just to capitalize on her social media following and this was not a publicity stunt, she said.

"I know I made a video in November saying I was auditioning, I did audition and it will be on air this Sunday, Feb. 14. I've been singing my whole life, I grew up in musical theater. Music has been one of the pillars in my life and I wouldn't be here without it," Conway explained, notes Variety. "I play about eight instruments. I've just been doing it since I could walk. They saw a video I posted as a joke of me singing and they were like, 'Hey, do you want to audition?' and I was like, 'Oh s—, yeah.' Because who wouldn't? So everyone thinks that this is a publicity stunt or me trying to be like, whatever, but no – music is my passion."

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