Fox finally announced January 7 as the set date for the 'American Idol' season 14 premiere!
According to TVLine, Fox scheduled the new season to air on a Wednesday at 8pm. It will reportedly start with a one-hour episode, and then wrap the week up with a two-hour show the next day, January 8, on the same timeslot.
The show will start out by featuring auditions from the Minneapolis, Kansas City, Nashville, New Orleans, San Francisco, and New York. Returning judges, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. will be listening to aspiring contestants sing their hearts out for a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Adam Lambert will be standing in for Keith Urban (who had to attend his father-in-law's funeral in Australia at the time) for the New York auditions.
Although the 'American Idol' season 14 premiere will be aired in the same length as before, the episodes will reportedly be "streamlined" in later episodes, according to Fox' former executive chairman.
"I think it will be a two-night format initially during the audition phase, and will quite likely end up as a two-hour show on one night for most of its run," Kevin Reilly previously stated.
The judges also expressed their wishes to find better contestants next season.
"I think Jen and Keith and I have raised the bar a little bit," Harry Connick, Jr. previously told the press during promotions for 'Dolphin Tale 2.'
"We're not putting people through based on, 'Maybe in a few weeks they'll really get into it.' There's no time for that." Connick added in another interview with TVLine. He did clarify that they also won't dismiss the people with raw talent who could really bring it on when it's time to perform.
Guest judge Adam Lambert also pointed out that "it's more than just having a nice-sounding voice. It's about the complete package: It's the look, it's the vibe, it's the personality. Hello, hello, personality!"
How excited are you for the 'American Idol' season 14 premiere this January?