You know a reality or competition show must have something special going for it when it can get me, self-avowed hater of such things, to tune in each week. But NBC’s The Voice has that something special. I am unashamedly hooked to the sophomore singing show, and apparently, NBC is too. The ratings for the first two outings of this season have been pretty damn good; almost too good, considering the rumor floating around the internets today.
New York Magazine is reporting that NBC is considering running two cycles of The Voice per season. I might be able to get behind such a venture if it wasn’t for the change producers would have to make to be able to pull a second run off: Judges Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee-Lo Green would sit out the second go round, with only Christina Aguilera around for both.
While I doubt it is an opinion universally shared, I think Aguilera is the worst thing about the show — well, I also had some problems with the structure of the second and third rounds last year, but I imagine there will be some tweaking this season. Christina just drags things down as far as I’m concerned. The banter between the male judges works well, but when Christina chimes in, specifically to criticize Adam, I want to throw things – which isn’t good for the longevity of my television if you know what I mean. I don’t want to jump up and down on her – get your mind out of a gutter! – but carrying her over as the only returning judge isn’t exactly going to motivate me to tune in.
There is also the danger of overkill. I get that, considering NBC’s recent struggles, squeezing everything possible out of a hit like The Voice makes a great deal of sense. But will the ratings stand up to twice as much Voice? I’m not so sure.
What do you think? Can you handle twice as much of The Voice? Would you be able to get behind a significant change in the judging lineup?
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Feb 08, 2012 @ 13:12 EST5EDT
I think it would actually be a good idea for NBC. Given the state of their schedule, even a slightly down Voice would still be a huge win. And I think the fear of two runs being too much is largely unfounded. As an example, Dancing With The Stars has been double-dipping for six years now, and Survivor has been doing it for 12. They both seem to be hanging in there just fine.
I think two cycles per season for any of these shows is too much because it saps the creativity and dilutes the brand. Even though they’ve been successful, both The Amazing Race and Survivor have suffered creatively by cramming two cycles into one season (too many crossover/returning contestants, and I hate that they call them “seasons”). DWTS would probably benefit from a single cycle per year to really go after some better talent (and even Tom Bergeron suggested a single cycle per season after the fall’s ratings tumble). So You Think You Can Dance and Big Brother both added an addition cycle — once — which were complete disasters (although the BB winter cycle was rushed into production because of the writers’ strike). ABC killed Who Wants To Be a Millionaire by plugging all the holes in their schedule with it. NBC needs to be happy with what they’ve got and not add another cycle, because it will just sap the talent pool. They’ve got America’s Got Talent on deck, so move that to the regular season, run one show in the fall and one in the spring and come up with something new for the summer. Double-dipping and swapping out judges is just going to cause viewer fatigue real fast.
If it’s true, it would be a big gamble, but NBC’s fall lineup was such a disaster that it might be worth a try, and they do have 8 guest advisors they can look at (plus 4 from last year) for possibly creating a workable “B” panel. They just need to keep the seasons short (e.g. max 12 weeks) so that there’s a good break in between. Also, X-Factor is vulnerable and they could do a quick kill.
In The Netherlands, home of the original The Voice series, they run as a second series “The Voice Kids”.
That might also be an idea they are contemplating.
It’s official – NBC will bring The Voice back in the fall with its judges intact. Commence burn out in 3 … 2 …
*POST AUTHOR*
I hadn’t seen anything other than that they’d signed on for S3 … the articles I’d read said that they hadn’t announced an air date, or if they were doing two cycles.
You got a better source than me :P
You know, “inside sources” are reporting the info. Could just be negotiating tactics.
Well, they’re holding S3 auditions next month (me, auditioning again? of course)…so I don’t know if that’s a clue? I don’t know how long the audition process takes in full.
But if this show goes to two cycles a year, not only am I worried about show burnout, I’m worried about ME burnout! Oi.
Given the cost of producing the show vs. scripted, even if ratings dropped some, it would be probably the highest rated show on NBC and make the most money.
NBC needs to get the most out of it while they can. And, assuming ratings hold up this season, it would provide something to help promote new series in the Fall.
. . . . .
I’ve read the opinions and comments posted here prior to putting my own two cents in.
I’m right there with Chuck – too much is too much. It might seem a good idea to give the people what they want, strike while the iron’s hot, but it will lead to burnout quickly. It’s the rare case where a Survivor-like scenario will result.
We’ve seen what happens when you dip at the well too frequently – it runs dry. Rare is the case when it doesn’t. If they want to take the risk (and it’s a huge risk, let’s not pick nits about that) of desiccating the show with overkill, they’ll quickly discover the error of their ways. And maybe that doesn’t mean anything to them. They just possibly want to use it as a vehicle, as means to an end and they really don’t care. If that fosters more out the back end, yippee for them.
Personally? I don’t like it and I think it’s a mistake … whether or not the entire clan reunites for the added season or if they bring in fresh blood to stir things up.