I think we can all agree that the past few seasons of American Idol have been… tumultuous, to say the least. Between judging panel drama and a heavy focus on, well, craziness, and likely a lot of ploys to get extra publicity / viewers with the influx of musical competition shows all clamoring for our attention.

American Idol has definitely been getting the short end of the stick lately and after last season, I wasn’t sure if I would keep watching. I found myself completely disagreeing with the judges and getting super annoyed at the crazy that just seemed to burst from the show at high speed. It felt less about music and more about Look At ME!!! And it wasn’t for a lack of talent – last season had some amazing talent and America even managed to crown a really worthy winner. It just wasn’t an enjoyable process to actually watch. I thought I might be done.

And then the media started to talk about potential judges for Season 13 and I found myself getting increasingly hopeful. The judges that were chosen are, in my opinion, perfect.

Keith Urban was the only judge last season that didn’t annoy the crap out of me and he seems to genuinely want to be there and involved in the process. His only downside is that he’s sometimes too nice, but I was very glad to hear he was coming back this season so that it wouldn’t be an ocean of new faces. So yay there.

I was pretty disappointed when Jennifer Lopez chose not to stay on Idol as a judge as I think she did a really good job, so I’m thrilled she’s back. She’s a sweetheart, massively talented and not an egomaniac or crazy. Yay again!

And who hasn’t watched Harry Connick Jr. mentor on Idol and think, “Put that man in a chair!” I was so glad that the powers that be agreed with me and that he agreed to come on as a judge.

I think all three  judges have good chemistry together and balance each other out well. Harry does a great job of being honest without being cruel and I love that he shares more technical feedback – already just in the main auditions, he has proven what a good judge he will be.

Also the entire atmosphere of the show feels lighter and more optimistic and upbeat, something this show was in dire need of. They focused way less on the “crazies” in last night’s auditions and I really appreciated the lack of drama. Maybe this is just Idol making the obvious needed changes, but if it means being able to enjoy watching the show – how can I not be all for that?

What do you think of this season’s judging panel and the auditions we’ve seen so far?