‘American Idol’ 2020 Live Shows: When Do They Start?

ABC American Idol - Dillon James

American Idol successfully kicked off Season 18 last Sunday, and audiences will continue to watch contestants from the pre-taped audition tour for a few weeks. The live show competition portion of the series won’t begin until judges the show’s judges – Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan narrow the pool of contestants down the Top 10.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the live performances will kick-off in May, which gives viewers plenty of time to get to know this season’s contestants. Last year, viewer votes helped determine the show’s Top 10.

The popular competition series, which first premiered on FOX in 2002, is known for making viewers laugh, cry, and watch in awe as America’s raw talent audition for the show. During the pre-taped audition rounds, the judges scouted for talent in the following cities:

Mobile, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Macon, GA
Santa Barbara, CA
Baton Rouge, LA
Columbia, SC
Las Vegas, NV
Waco, TX
Knoxville, TN
Salt Lake City, UT
Raleigh, NC
Colorado Springs, CO
Washington D.C.
Wichita, KS
San Jose, CA
Pittsburgh, PA
Springfield, IL
Spokane, WA
Detroit, MI
Nashville, TN
Chicago, IL


How To Watch & Live Stream ‘American Idol’ Online


If you don’t have cable, you can watch American Idol live or on-demand on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV or other streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming subscription services:

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Hulu With Live TV

ABC (live in select markets) is included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies.

Get Hulu With Live TV

Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch a live stream of American Idol on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.

If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which will have new episodes of American Idol available after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).

AT&T TV Now

AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles. They range from 45 to 125 live TV channels, and they all include ABC (live in select markets). The “Plus” and “Max” bundles both include a free seven-day trial:

AT&T TV Now Free Trial

Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch a live stream of American Idol on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app.

If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV comes with 70-plus live TV channels, including ABC (live in select markets).

Get YouTube TV

Once signed up for YouTube TV, you can then watch a live stream of American Idol on your computer via the YouTube website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other compatible streaming devices via the YouTube app.

If you can’t watch live, YouTube TV comes with included DVR.

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