ABC announced at its Upfront presentation on Tuesday that Perry will be one of the new judges on “American Idol” when it returns to TV this fall at its new network. Perry wasted no time in celebrating the announcement.
“SO thrilled @ABCNetwork is bringing back @AmericanIdol, and I’m bringing it back to the MUSIC see you at auditions,” Perry tweeted.
The judges’ positions were famously filled by Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson when the show was on Fox.
Ryan Seacrest said on “Live with Kelly & Ryan” that he would be open to hosting the singing competition when it premieres on ABC, but the network’s Entertainment President Channing Dungey made no mention of who would be hosting when she spoke at the Upfront event, an annual presentation designed to woo advertisers for the fall season.
Seacrest served as host when “Idol” aired on Fox for 15 seasons before it was canceled just over a year ago. If he returns to “American Idol,” Seacrest would be serving double duty at ABC where he is also getting settled into his new hosting gig on “Live.”
At its peak, Fox’s “American Idol” pulled in more than 38 million viewers and launched stellar careers for Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.
Ratings slipped steadily starting in Season 10 and “Idol” faced fierce competition from NBC’s “The Voice” before it was finally canceled last May.
But don’t count on seeing Hudson or Clarkson in the new “Idol.” NBC announced last week that both stars will be joining “The Voice” as coaches for the upcoming seasons.
The show’s swift return to TV is a sore subject for Fox, which confirmed on Monday that they wanted to bring “Idol” back but not until 2020. Fox wanted to wait an “appropriate amount of time” before resurrecting the show but the show’s producer, FremantleMedia, rejected that idea.
“Yes, it feels bad knowing it’s coming back on another network,” Fox Television Group CEO Dana Walden said.
Dungey said on a call earlier on Tuesday that the timing is perfect for the show’s return and ABC is the best home for it.
“What I love about it personally is that it’s about heartfelt, uplifting stories of people who make their dreams come true and honestly that’s our sweet spot at ABC,” Dungey said.
“All of our alternative franchises deal in that, so for me that makes it felt like the perfect home at the perfect time.”
