The first season of Australian Idol was produced by Fremantle Media subsidiary Grundy Television in association with UK company 19TV, and was broadcast on Network Ten for 19 weeks in the latter half of 2003. The judges were Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Ian "Dicko" Dickson.

The second season of Australian Idol debuted on 13 July 2004. Over 50,000 people throughout Australia auditioned.

The third season of Australian Idol debuted on 26 July 2005. The first of three semi-finals was held on 16 August 2005 with three of the Final 12 contenders announced the following night on 17 August 2005. 2Day FM radio host Kyle Sandilands replaced former judge Ian Dickson.

The fourth season of Australian Idol first episode aired on 6 August 2006 and concluded on 26 November.

The fifth season of Australian Idol premiered on 5 August 2007 on Network Ten. It concluded on 25 November.

The sixth season of Australian Idol premiered on Sunday, 24 August 2008, on Network Ten. The season finale aired live on Sunday, 23 November 2008. The winner was Wes Carr with Luke Dickens as runner-up.

The seventh and final season of the Australian Idol series began on 9 August 2009, to determine who would succeed Season 6 winner, Wes Carr. Beginning amid controversy, judge Kyle Sandilands was replaced by Sony Music record executive, Jay Dee Springbett. It was the first season where all four final contestants were eighteen years old or younger. Stan Walker was declared the winner on 22 November 2009.

After a 14-year hiatus Australian Idol is back bigger and better than ever. Scouring across the nation for the best Aussie talent, the pressure is on to find the next Australian Idol.

This is where stars are made.

Season 10 of Australian Idol premiered on 2025-02-02.