Welcome back to American Idol. Don’t be scared — it’s a much happier place. Missed last season? If so, you’re not alone. Ratings plummeted after producers added Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey to the panel of judges, assuming that viewers would flock to watch the feuding divas. They didn’t. “It was like hell, going to work every day in hell with Satan,” Carey would reflect in an interview.

Now the show looks to reinvent itself as Season 13 kicked off with a two-night premiere Wednesday and Thursday. And it’s fair to wonder whether anything can reverse the slide of what was once the country’s most popular show.

Fox hopes that a combination of new and old judges will help draw viewers in. This season features a carefully engineered amalgam of what producers believe will be the perfect three-judge panel: Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez (returning for her third stint after a break); country star Keith Urban, who patiently endured last season’s Minaj-Carey war; and Harry Connick Jr., a favourite former guest mentor.

And while the show’s audience may be shrinking, there are still plenty of die-hard fans. About 150 in the Washington area were on hand Tuesday night for a special sneak preview of Wednesday’s season premiere. It might have been a small sample size, but the audience at a movie theatre seemed to love the new panel, and with good reason: Everything about Lopez-Urban-Connick Jr. trio is delightful, and their regular laughing and joking with each other on camera even seems natural. They pay close attention to auditions, even by the most hopeless singers — no more nasty montages showing delusional wannabes being mocked by scoffing judges. If someone doesn’t have what it takes, they’re let down gently: “I just don’t think you’re a good enough singer,” Connick will say, sadly.

Oh, right — the contestants. Sometimes pushed to the background in recent seasons, the spotlight is back on singing hopefuls instead of arguing judges. Highlights of Wednesday’s episode, which travels to Boston and Austin, included 15-year-old Kaitlyn Jackson, who sings a heartbreaking original song about when her grandfather had a heart attack. “I guess God didn’t need another angel that day,” she sang as the judges sat stunned and viewers started sniffling.

Idol these days is a sweeter, kinder place — and about time. Idol has noticeably dipped in the ratings: Last season averaged 13.2 million viewers per episode compared with 17.2 million in 2012 and a high-water mark of 30.2 million in 2006.

Even though Idol has been down a bumpy road (Paula Abdul’s antics, the Ellen DeGeneres debacle, the demotion of lone original judge Randy Jackson to “mentor” status this year) the show still holds broad appeal. Despite those old feuds between the judges, it remains a show the whole family can watch together. Why do they keep watching?

“Nothing else compares,” gushed Francis Rios, 25, of Washington. She’s an Idol superfan who’s watched since the second season, goes to Idol tour concerts and genuinely misses Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul.

Angela Landeen brought her 10-year-old daughter, Beritt. Last season, “the constant bickering” between judges turned people off, Angela said. Beritt shares high hopes for the coming season: “I think it will really help that Lopez is back.”

Attendees at the screening were happy to see J-Lo return. And Connick was a huge hit. At the end of the screening, host Ryan Seacrest rounded up the judges for a simulcast Q&A session from Los Angeles, where the niceties continued. The judges described themselves using phrases such as “great chemistry,” “reasonable dialogue” and “more collaboration”. “The judges love each other, and it’s really fun,” Connick said.

Is it possible all the kindness will backfire and the show become a snoozefest? Connick and Lopez promise there’s an incident later in the season where they “get into it” about sending home a particular singer. But as the first part of the premiere ends with Connick goofing off as he carries Urban in his arms like a giant baby, it looks as if this will be a warm and fuzzy Idol for a good long while.

—By arrangement with the Washington Post