PHOTO: 'American Idol' Back Tonight

The wait is over. American Idol returns tonight, debuting the new judges panel of Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson.

The trio posed for a photo on the Idol set with host Ryan Seacrest and Lopez's husband Marc Anthony, which Lopez posted on her Twitter. "On the set playin around with the boys ;-)" she tweeted along with the photo.

Lopez has said that she wants to bring the fun back to the Idol set, according to Fox News. “What was refreshing was that it was so much fun. It was definitely emotional, which I thought was missing a bit, and the fun that was lacking in the past few years is back,” she said.

The singer and actress added that she initially struggled to find a constructive way to offer her criticisms. “I found it very difficult in the beginning, it was about finding my style of how to say things and then once I did that it was fine,” she said. “We deliver our message in a way that can help them actually grow in this process.”

Tyler agreed. "When I didn't like it I felt ill at ease to tell them, 'You really didn't sing it good,'" he said to People. "But after the third or fourth, I got into it." Now, he has three main criteria while judging: "Can they sing? Are they in pitch? Do they have star quality?"

American Idol will air tonight and Thursday at 8 p.m. —ISHITA SINGH