'American Idol' Renewed For Season 4; Judges & Ryan Seacrest Unconfirmed

American Idol is indeed here to stay. The show has been renewed for a fourth season, but for the second year in a row, the pickup comes without new deals for judges Katy Perry, Luke Byran and Lionel Richie and host Ryan Seacrest.

The renewal comes two days before Idol closes out its third season on ABC, and 18th overall. The show has pivoted to remote production for its final rounds, with the contestants, judges and Seacrest all recording at home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Perry, Bryan and Richie all eventually signed deals to return last year about three months after the show was renewed. Seacrest followed suit in September 2019. The talent deals for the quartet are the priciest part of the Fremantle/19 Entertainment production.

American Idol's linear ratings have declined a little this season (along with most of the rest of network and cable TV). With a week of delayed viewing, Sunday editions average a 1.5 rating in the key ad demographic of adults 18-49 and 8.41 million viewers, down from 1.7 and 9.1 million last season.

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