Judge Katy Perry promised a “major twist” in a promo. Could it be the return of results shows? That would be pretty swell if the finalists could perform on a separate night without worrying about an elimination at the end of the night.
Why the speculation? According to the schedule at Futon Critic, American Idol will air on Sunday AND Mondays beginning the week of March 21, all the way through to the finale. There is no Monday show scheduled for the last week, which seems a little odd.
According to the schedule, American Idol will air 23 episodes which is A LOT. Season 17 aired 19 episodes, season 18 aired only 16 episodes, including a couple of clip shows. Did ABC expand American Idol due to COVID-19 restricting production on scripted shows? For a comparison, The Voice season 20 schedule will be similar to last spring. A Monday/Tuesday premiere week, followed by mostly Monday shows.
A warning: This schedule is subject to change! – Of course, episode titles will be added. But a date could be subtracted or added here and there. Check back frequently for updates. I’ll edit the headline with a fresh date as an alert.
American Idol features Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the judges panel. Ryan Seacrest hosts. Bobby Bones will join the cast during Hollywood Week as in-house mentor.
American Idol 2021 Season 19 Schedule
Sunday Feb 14 – Premiere (Auditions 1)
Sunday Feb 21 – Auditions 2
Sunday Feb 28 – Auditions 3
Sunday Mar 7 – Auditions 4
Sunday Mar 14 – Auditions 5
Sunday Mar 21 – Hollywood Week: Genre Challenge
Monday Mar 22 – Hollywood Week: Duets Challenge
Sun Mar 28 – Showstopper/Final Judgement Pt 1
Monday Mar 29 – Showstopper/Final Judgement Pt 2
Sun Apr 4 – Top 24 All Star Duets and Solos Pt 1 – America Votes
Mon Apr 5 – Top 24 All Star Duets and Solos Pt 2 – America Votes
Sunday Apr 11 – Top 16 – The Top 16 are revealed and perform in hopes of securing America’s vote to the next round.
Monday Apr 12 – Top 12 LIVE Reveal – Following America’s overnight vote, 10 contestants will be revealed from the Top 16, leaving six contestants to perform for a chance at one of two spots picked by the judges, rounding out the Top 12.
Sunday Apr 18 – Top 12 Perform Oscar Nominated Songs – The top 12 contestants perform Oscar®-nominated songs in hopes of securing America’s vote into the top nine on an all-new episode. Plus, Lionel Richie opens the show with a special performance of “Say You Say Me.”
Monday Apr 19 – The Comeback – In an “Idol” first, 10 finalists from last season will return to make their debut on the “American Idol” stage, where they will sing for America’s vote. After a week-long vote, only one will remain in the competition this season, rounding out the top 10.
Sunday Apr 25 – ACADEMY AWARDS AIR ON ABC
Monday Apr 26 – SESAME STREET SPECIAL ON ABC
Sunday May 2 – Disney Night (Top 10)
Monday May 3 Wide World of Disney films
Sunday May 9 – Mother’s Day (Top 7)
Monday May 10 – Wide World of Disney films
Sunday May 16 – Top 5
Monday May 17 – TBA Wide World of Disney films
Sunday May 23 – 3 Hour Finale
*American Idol repeats air on Saturdays at 9 pm.
