American Idol returns to the screen with its 13th season this month. Starting on Thursday, January 16, the long-running talent show will air weekly in the UAE at 11pm on OSN First HD, the same day as it does in the US.
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the show will return with an all-star new judging panel comprised of singer-composer Harry Connick Jr, producer-artist Jennifer Lopez and veteran country performer Keith Urban. During the season’s debut episode, the judges will travel to Austin, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts, to see what auditions await them.
Lopez, who had been a judge during season 10 and 11 of the Fox network programme, left the show in its 12th season to be replaced by chart-topping recording artists Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. The two didn’t always get along and their interactions often made for tense television.
Seacrest told The Huffington Post that the chemistry between the mentors is “great”, and Connick Jr reiterated the sentiment.
“Jennifer and Keith are really cool people and they’ve been around for a minute, so they really have a lot of experience being in this business,” he said. “So much of being a pop star is what goes on in the business and so for these young performers to be around that will be very helpful to them.”
