Season 13 of American Idol comes to Fox on Jan. 15. With some new faces and the return of a couple familiar ones, everyone on the Idol team is promising a new and improved show. According to host Ryan Seacrest and new judge Harry Connick Jr., fans that were turned off by the show's past seasons should give Idol another chance.

At Z100's New York City Jingle Ball on Friday, Seacrest explained how a happy judging panel will bring back what "Idol" fans originally loved about the series.

"The judges are so fun, and they are having such a good time," Seacrest told PEOPLE. "They are getting along so well that I think you will see your old 'American Idol' back on the air."

Connick agrees that the judging panel has taken a more peaceful approach, much different than last year's Mariah Carey vs. Nicki Minajseason-long battle and the Paula Abdul vs. Simon Cowell era.

"I am nothing like Simon," he told PEOPLE. "I think he is fantastic, but we do not have a lot in common."

Connick is new to the judging table but not new to Idol. He used to be a mentor on the show. Last season, some believed he was too harsh on Amber Holcomb and Candice Glover, but Connick says his approach is all about constructive criticism.

"You have to be specific. You can't tell people 'I didn't like it.' You have to tell them why," he said. "It's hard to do that if you don't have a lot of background in actually playing an instrument and performing, and that is what I do. So it's very easy for me to pull from personal experience [and explain] why people aren't doing as well as they could and help them get to the next level because they are young."

Connick adds that his co-judges, Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban, will be able to put the focus back on the contestants, a task he admits was forgotten last season.

"Jen and Keith are really focused," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "This year is going to get back on track. It got a little bit off last year. It's got to be about the contestants, and I think all of us are really concerned about finding the best person."

Season 13 of American Idol premieres on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 with two-hour-long episodes at 8 p.m. on Fox.