tonight ryan seacrest takes abc's abbie boudreau behind the scenes of a live episode. ♪ >> reporter: "american idol." like you've never seen it before. >> this is master control. this is the control room. dim the lights and here we go. >> reporter: it's just hours before "idol" goes live, and we're behind the scenes with host ryan seacrest. >> wow, i've never been to this set. >> reporter: with millions tuning in each week, the show has launched star after star. ♪ >> kelly clarkson. >> carrie underwood! >> legitimate stars. >> reporter: shattered dreams as well. >> oh, christ, that was terrible. i mean, seriously terrible. >> reporter: but this season -- >> you couldn't get it any better. >> reporter: the show is taking a very different approach, embracing positivity. >> kind of evolved. we're artists. so we need encouragement. we don't need to be scared to death. when you're standing there in front of the three of us, give me a break, that's enough pressure to just shut you down. >> take a deep breath and take a bow. >> i think it's really, you know about positivity. but even with t