American Idol, is an American television series. It is part of the Idol series, originating from the UK show Pop Idol, a singing talent contest to determine the best "undiscovered" young singer in the country. In recent years it has become one of the most highly publicized music competitions in the world, reaching the status of a phenomenon.

The fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005 and continued until May 25, 2005. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell also returned to judge.

The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana De Garmo by an approximate margin of 2% (1.3 million votes). The vote total (65 million votes) is the highest recorded vote total in the show's history.

The second season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2003 and continued until May 20, 2003. It was won by Ruben Studdard.

The first season of American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002 and continued until September 4, 2002. It was won by Kelly Clarkson. This season was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman, who left the show after one season.

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge.

The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the FOX Broadcasting Network on January 16,2007 and will run until late May. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host.