American Idol’s Move to Monday Night Pays Off with Biggest Season Debut in Four Years
American Idol’s shift to a new night appears to have paid off handsomely. The ABC talent contest scored its biggest season debut in four years, drawing 5.9 million total viewers and earning a 0.54 share among adults aged 18-49, according to Nielsen’s live+same day ratings. This marks a significant increase from last year’s 4.49 million viewers and 0.45 share.
This premiere was the show’s strongest since Season 20 in 2022. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, with judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood, American Idol previously aired on Sunday nights but moved to Mondays for this season.
During the ratings reveal, ABC took a subtle jab at NBC’s The Voice. The Disney-owned network highlighted that Idol outperformed The Voice’s premiere in its nine-season run on ABC and “surged past” The Voice’s fall average. However, ABC’s comparison was made against The Voice’s seasonal average rather than its premiere numbers.
Showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick spoke to Deadline earlier this month about the scheduling strategy, saying, “The beginning of the year is awards season and a lot of these award shows are on Sunday nights. You’re up against the Grammys and the Super Bowl. Let’s see what happens on Monday.”
Clearly, ABC is enjoying a ratings boost for its flagship linear entertainment shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. Highlighting its growing engagement, Idol received more than double the votes during its finale last season compared to previous years.
This season, American Idol is also experimenting with live social media voting for the first time, becoming the first entertainment show to implement this feature.
Last night’s premiere featured notable performances including Jesse Findling, who has a stutter and sang Benson Boone’s “In The Stars,” and Khloe Grace, who performed “Forever 13” — a song written about Aubreigh Wyatt, a 13-year-old girl who tragically died by suicide in 2023. Carrie Underwood was visibly moved to tears by Grace’s performance, underscoring the emotional impact of the moment.
With these developments, American Idol continues to secure its position as a top-rated and culturally relevant talent competition on network television.
https://deadline.com/2026/01/american-idol-ratings-best-debut-4-years-1236699359/