Although season 24 of “American Idol” won’t premiere on ABC until early 2026, producers are just weeks away from beginning to film auditions with returning judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood as well as host Ryan Seacrest, who just signed on for his 24th consecutive season.
On September 11, 2025, executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick spoke with TV Insider about planning for the new season and revealed “big format changes” are in the works.
Wolflick, who’s been with the iconic talent show since 2003, told the outlet, “We do have some changes. I can’t really get into any details, but we do have some big format changes coming for sure. There are going to be some surprises around every turn for sure.”
Media Critics & Fans Have Been Asking for Changes to ‘American Idol’
DisneyThe staying power of “American Idol” is impressive, as it still draws millions of viewers to ABC each spring. But in recent years, media critics and fans have proposed changes to the series to keep it fresh.
Although few want to return to the days of Simon Cowell insulting contestants, many fans and critics have noted that the “American Idol” judges have become too soft, rarely providing constructive criticsm.
A critic at ScreenRant wrote in April that during one round of the competition, “No one stood out because Carrie, Lionel, and Luke judged them all the same. Perhaps they were trying not to influence the viewer vote by giving only praise and no criticism, but I think that viewers could use some guidance from experts like them when they’re trying to decide which singers had the best performances. Otherwise, ‘American Idol’ becomes nothing more than a popularity contest.”
In May, Collider published a piece suggesting that the show needed a “refresh,” including changing up its themed nights, such as Rock ‘n Roll Night and Disney Night, noting that while they originally added a fresh twist to the competition, they had become “repetitive and occasionally led to stifled creativity as the singers struggled to add their spin to the songs.”
‘American Idol’ Format Has Undergone Rare Changes Over the Years
For the most part, “American Idol” has followed a similar format since it launched on FOX in 2002. Celebrity judges have always critiqued in-person auditions, deciding which hopefuls will earn a golden ticket to Hollywood. The always-intense Hollywood Week is also a staple, with contestants required to work with groups or partners as they face several rounds of possible eliminations.
After the show moved to ABC in 2018, producers added a round of competition at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii, where around two dozen remaining contestants perform for an audience with a live band.
The biggest change, however, occurred as a result of the COVID pandemic, requiring “American Idol” to shut down production mid-season in 2020. Contestants and judges had to film from their homes or hotel rooms, as eventual winner Samantha “Just Sam” Diaz did.
By that fall, with COVID still a major concern, producers figured out how to hold virtual auditions via Zoom and realized they could reach far more singers who hadn’t been able to travel to in-person auditions before.
“We have had so many more people signing up who would have never auditioned because it was really just clicking a link,” Wolflick told TV Insider. “In the past, you would have had to sign up, come down, wait for hours, sing in front of a lot of other people. Where now you can audition from your car, from your job, from your car, from anywhere at any time.”
Contestants Go Through Multiple Rounds of Virtual ‘American Idol’ Auditions
With several years of virtual auditions under their belts, producers now have a slick system for finding the best talent, beginning with virtual audition days happening through the end of September.
“We have a giant (online) waiting room where all the contenders come in and wait for their shot,” Wolflick told TV Insider. “Then we feed all of them into 10 breakout rooms where producers wait to see who has that one-on-one, face-to-face audition.”
“It’s a two-step process,” she continued. “You come in. We usually have a former ‘Idol’ or former winner come in to answer questions and make them feel comfortable. We have a master of ceremonies who plays videos and clips and music. Then you are sent to the one-on-one audition where you get to sing for a producer.”
Those who make it through that round then move on to sing for Wolflick and she told TV Insider, “If you make it through that, we take you to sing with Carrie, Luke, and Lionel.”
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