American Idol will be back early next year with its farewell season.

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Fox has announced American Idol will premiere its fifteenth -- and final -- season with a two-night event on Wednesday, January 6 from 8-10PM ET/PT and Thursday, January 7 also from 8-10PM ET/PT.

American Idol will continue airing afterwards on Wednesday nights only from 8-9PM ET/PT and then Thursday nights with its regular two-hour time slot beginning at 8PM ET/PT.

American Idol will once again feature Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. on the judging panel with Ryan Seacrest reprising his role as host.

Not only will the upcoming season find its next "American Idol," it will also pay tribute to the past 14 seasons of talented contestants and the fans who supported them along the way.

Fox officially announced it was canceling the longtime reality singing competition back in May.

"Do I believe that it's really ending? I have not come to terms with that yet," Lopez, 46, told People at the time.

Connick, 48, also reminisced American Idol's 14-year run and noted he's thankful to have been part of such a staple on television.

"I've been a fan of this show for a long time and when they asked me to be a mentor a few years back, I was thrilled," Connick told the magazine.

"And when they asked me to be a judge I was even more excited because I felt like I was a part of something truly phenomenal and historic... I really feel that I'm a part of something on a smaller level for me that is unforgettable."

Urban, 48, said earlier this year Idol reaching it's end is "bittersweet," while Seacrest, 41, confessed it's "hard to imagine" his life without the show since he's starred on it from the start,


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.