‘American Idol’ to Return ‘Bigger, Bolder and Better’ on ABC

ABC announced on Tuesday morning that it is moving forward with a new season of American Idol. After running for 15 years on Fox, the singing competition show wrapped up its “farewell season” in April of 2016. 

“America, get ready for the return of a bigger, bolder and better-than-ever Idol,” added Ben Sherwood, president of Disney/ABC TV Group.

The news of Idol‘s return was announced by Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America. According to the pair, ABC has not yet determined who will run the show, host or serve on the panel of judges.

According to Variety, ABC is considering a March 2018 premiere for the new version of Idol. The network appears to be building up its stable of singing shows: in March, it announced plans to debut another new music competition show called Boy Band.

Though Idol was barely off the air, its return is not a surprise: even as the series was coming to a close last year, its creator, Simon Fuller, was already making plans for the reboot. “How does Idol live for the next 15 years?” he said during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “There will no doubt be another format or refinement or elevation of the format.”

“Now I can actually revamp it and come up with a new version,” he added. “And we can look back on 15 seasons and think of some legitimate ways to allow people to enjoy them again, maybe adding another dimension to it.”