Find out what time American Idol season 22 is on tonight (Feb. 25, 2024)

It feels so good to have American Idol back on our screens, and season 22 of the singing competition series is already off to a great start! We saw some great stars in the making in the premiere episode last week, Feb. 18, 2024. And now, it's time for the next round of auditions with a new episode of American Idol 2024 tonight. What time do you need to tune in?

American Idol 2024 is new tonight

American Idol airs a new episode tonight, Feb. 25, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The second part of the auditions will be a total of two hours long just like the premiere episode. So you'll need to stay tuned in until 10 p.m. ET! Last year, the first six episodes of the season were all auditions. So we expect the same schedule for American Idol season 22 as well.

Release time by time zone

• Eastern: 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET
• Central: 7 p.m. CT to 9 p.m. CT
• Pacific: 5 p.m. PT to 7 p.m. PT
• Mountain: 6 p.m. MT to 8 p.m. MT

New episodes are also available to stream on Hulu the next day. Episode 2 will be added to the streamer on Monday, Feb. 26. The platform costs $7.99/month with ads or $17.99/month without ads. There's also multiple Hulu + Live TV options that give you access to both ABC and Hulu so you can watch either live or on-demand.

According to the synopsis, judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie will take a "special walk down memory lane in their hometowns" in tonight's episode. Bryan is from Leesburg, Georgia; Perry's hometown is Santa Barbara, California; and Richie's is Tuskegee, Alabama. We may even visit host Ryan Seacrest's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia! This is of course all happening as the search for the next American Idol continues as well.

Last week, we met the first batch of contestants and it will be so interesting to see who makes it far in the competition, and who doesn't. Some of the ones who stood out include 15-year-old Triston Harper from McIntosh, Alabama whose had a troubled childhood due to his abusive stepfather; and McKenna Breinholt from Gilbert, Arizona. The 25-year-old medical assistant is adopted and recently found her birth family, who surprised her at the audition.

One special contestant who might make it far this season is 28-year-old security guard Odell Bunton Jr. From Austin, Texas, the aspiring singer has five kids with the family currently living in a hotel. Hoping for a better future for his family, perhaps he will become the next American Idol star. All three judges gave him a yes. But he was in for a surprise! Afterwards while on-air doing an interview with a local news station in Dallas, Texas, the judges showed up and surprised him with the first Platinum Ticket of the season! This will let Bunton skip the first, brutal round of Hollywood Week. Amazing!

American Idol season 22 airs new episodes Sunday nights on ABC. Episodes are also available to stream on Hulu.