It might be the film industry's biggest night, but ABC is leaving a little room for some music, too — directly following tonight's live telecast of the 97th annual Academy Awards, the alphabet network will air a special preview of American Idol season 23 and give fans an early introduction to this season's new judges' panel, which features a very familiar face.
Yes, for the first time in the franchise's history, an American Idol alum is officially joining the judging panel, with season four winner and eight-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood pulling up a chair beside returning judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to give her firsthand expertise to the next generation of talents vying for a shot at Idol stardom. (Longtime host Ryan Seacrest is also back this season.) Tonight's 30-minute sneak peek, which is set to air at 10:30pm Eastern Time (if the Oscars are on time, of course), will also give viewers a first look at this year's round of auditions and the talented singers and musicians potentially competing this season.
“Carrie Underwood is the first American Idol alum ever to join the judging panel. Her global superstar status as the most successful Idol winner to date makes her a perfect fit for the show,” Megan Wolflick, showrunner and executive producer of American Idol, said in a press release. “She embodies the true spirit of Idol as she herself is the definition of the Cinderella story. Our future hopefuls will have the chance to receive advice from someone who has walked in their exact footsteps every step of the way.”
A week after tonight's special preview, the actual premiere of American Idol — the eighth edition of the iconic music competition on ABC and the franchise's overall 23rd season — will air with a two-hour episode on Sunday, March 9 at 8pm ET on ABC. To watch live, you're going to need access to ABC; however, for those that have cut ties with traditional cable/satellite TV, ABC is also a part of live TV streaming services such as FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV). Episodes also become available to watch the next day over on Hulu.
Get a first look at tonight's special preview of American Idol season 23, as well as Underwood's judging debut, below:
