May 4, 2018

ABC announced today that American Idol will return for its second season on the network - and what will be its 17th overall. The good news comes two weeks ahead of the revived singing competition's season finale, which will cap a solid return to television for the long-running reality series that was cancelled by Fox in 2016.

After just one year off the air, ABC brought American Idol back in March as a mid-season entry airing on Sunday and Monday nights. The move appears to have paid off for the network, which took a risk bringing back a show that was not long ago billed as airing its final season. While its ratings are far from what they once were during the height of its popularity, the revived edition has been a solid performer. Among adults 18-49, Idol was Sunday's #1 entertainment broadcast in prime time during each of its airings.

It is not known if ABC plans to keep American Idol as a mid-season player or whether it will consider adding the show to its regular fall line-up for the 2018-2019 season. We do know that host Ryan Seacrest and the new judging panel of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will all be returning.