American Idol
Reality competitionReal people competing under format rules.This show: 10/10Music sceneMusicians, bands and the industry behind them.This show: 9/10Long-runnerA show whose sheer longevity shapes how it's watched.This show: 8/10Easy watchingLow-demand television where half your attention is enough.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Mark Thompson
Written by
Simon Fuller
Starring
Mark Thompson
Written by
Simon Fuller
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
American Idol Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6 | E7 | E8 | E9 | E10 | E11 | E12 | E13 | E14 | E15 | E16 | E17 | E18 | E19 | E20 | E21 | E22 | E23 | E24 | E25 | E26 | E27 | E28 | E29 | E30 | E31 | E32 | E33 | E34 | E35 | E36 | E37 | E38 | E39 | E40 | E41 | E42 | E43 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| S2 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.9 | |||||
| S3 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 6.1 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.6 | |
| S4 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.1 | |
| S5 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.8 | |||
| S6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 7.2 | |||
| S7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 7.5 | ||
| S8 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 8.1 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 7.1 | ||||
| S9 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 6.6 | |
| S10 | 5.6 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 4.9 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.9 | |||||
| S11 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 6.1 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 6.7 | 5.2 | ||||
| S12 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.5 | |||||||
| S13 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 5.4 | |||||
| S14 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.0 | ||||||||||||||
| S15 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 7.4 | 7.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S16 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 7.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S17 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S18 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 6.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S19 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 7.4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S20 | 8.4 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 7.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S21 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 8.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S22 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 7.7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S23 | 7.7 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 7.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S24 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 5.4 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.5 |
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About
"The blueprint for reality TV stardom"
American Idol is the singing competition that turns unknown hopefuls into overnight stars, or humiliates them trying. Amateurs audition in front of a judging panel, get winnowed down through weekly performances, and the public votes for who survives. The tone swings wildly: earnest underdog stories and genuine vocal talent sit alongside manufactured drama, sappy backstories, and the occasional gloriously bad audition. It's fast, formulaic, and unapologetically manipulative, but the format works because it's engineered for exactly that kind of addictive, communal watching and rooting.
Watch it for
the genuine talent discoveries and the addictive thrill of rooting for an underdog.
Maybe skip if
you dislike formulaic reality competition structure and manufactured sentimental backstories.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
▶
Season 12002
4.51K24
▶
Season 22003
5.01K39
▶
Season 32004
5.21K4330h 6m
▶
Season 42005
5.01K43
▶
Season 52006
4.92K41
▶
Season 62007
4.72K413h 47m
▶
Season 72008
4.72K42
▶
Season 82009
5.72K4028h
▶
Season 92010
4.81K431h 21m
▶
Season 102011
5.62K39
▶
Season 112012
5.21K40
▶
Season 122013
4.61K371h 23m
▶
Season 132014
5.11K39
▶
Season 142015
5.47923010h 7m
▶
Season 152016
6.6318212h 8m
▶
Season 16
7.66702026h 37m
▶
Season 17
8.07722028h 15m
▶
Season 18
7.86191722h 30m
▶
Season 19
8.16602027h 36m
▶
Season 20
8.46172028h 16m
▶
Season 21
8.26442027h 38m
▶
Season 22
8.55651826h 54m
▶
Season 23
7.76061927h 15m
▶
Season 24
7.44181623h 26m
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
Ryan Seacrest Self - Host, Self
Mark Thompson Announcer, Self - Announcer
Randy Jackson Self - Judge, Self, Self - Mentor
Simon Cowell Self - Judge, Self, Self - Host
Paula Abdul Self - Judge, Self, Self - Guest Judge
Lionel Richie Self - Judge, Self, Self - Guest Judge
Luke Bryan Self - Judge, Self
Jennifer Lopez Self - Judge, Self - Guest Star, Performer
Katy Perry Self - Judge, Self, Self - Musical Guest
Keith Urban Self - Judge, Performer, Self
Crew
Simon Fuller
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the original talent-competition template Idol borrowed from
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The Sing-Off
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the German Idol franchise sibling with the same DNA
Close in taste Nearest neighbors in our taste profile comparison: shared tone, themes and style.