'The Masked Singer' Season 4 Might Be Coming Sooner Than Expected

Season 4 of The Masked Singer could be coming to the airwaves sooner than previously expected. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch spoke of the renewal during a call to Fox investors, explaining that the network was targeting a fall debut, despite the circumstances created by coronavirus.

"Should conditions allow for it, we are planning production in early August of Season 4 of The Masked Singer, which we'll target for a fall debut," he said, according to Deadline. The wildly popular singing competition features celebrities hiding behind elaborate costumes performing renditions of hit songs. After each performance, it's up to the judges (and the larger viewing audience) to figure out who's underneath it all. The show's third season premiered on Feb. 2, following The Super Bowl, and will conclude on May 20. News of the renewal was first reported on Wednesday. The news was met with a very enthusiastic response from its viewers.

The latest season also featured some pretty big changes in the competition series format. Instead of introducing all of the contestants in one episode, they're now divided into three separate groups. Then, over the course of the season, they face off against their respective groups before coming together for a Super Nine round on April 1. In a January interview with Billboard, showrunner Izzie Pick-Ibarra explained why the show chose to implement these changes.

"We changed the format up to make three mini-seasons. So we have six singers in each mini-season: groups A, B and C. We start with six in a group and they get whittled down to three," Pick-Ibarra explained. "Then we go to the next group and the next and then we bring all the singers together so you have nine champions from the groups and they'll compete against one another to the end."

"It helps the viewers when we have a cast as large as ours and it's hard to track people's stories and personalities if you're flip-flopping between 18 people from the get-go," she continued. "It's a way to let viewers know them in smaller groups, and by the time they come together, they have a handle on who each are over 19 episodes."

The Masked Singer airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, although there will be a special pre-finale warmup that airs on Tuesday, May 19 at 8 p.m. Episodes can also be streamed on Hulu, YouTube TV and the Fox Now app.