NBC just released their remaining mid-season premiere dates, and the schedule is very interesting indeed. The Voice, starring Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and new coach John Legend, debuts Monday, February 25. However, for season 16, the network is cutting back on Tuesday shows. As The Hollywood Reporter describes it: The Voice “will have Tuesday episodes Feb. 26 and March 5, then go idle on Tuesdays until April 23. Ellen’s Game of Games will fill the 8 p.m. Tuesday spot in the interim.”
The Voice ratings have been sliding the past couple of seasons. The return of American Idol last spring, didn’t help matters, as the shows go head to head on Mondays during the spring cycle. Idol’s finale ratings actually outpaced The Voice numbers last year.
NBC has made a thing out of using the American Idol legacy against itself as it cast popular alums like Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson as coaches. Welp. The tradition continues, as NBC schedules the third season of World of Dance on Sundays at 8 pm ET/PT beginning on March 3 to compete head to head with American Idol.
The Idol connection? Former Idol judge Jennifer Lopez executive produces and sits on the World of Dance panel. WOD earned good numbers in the summer following the popular America’s Got Talent. I had a feeling NBC would not allow Idol’s Sunday success (the show’s ratings typically lead the night for ABC) to go unanswered.
The question is: Are fans ready for another season of World of Dance so soon after it’s summer season? And will the ratings hold up without the America’s Got Talent lead in? On the other hand, dance fans may gravitate to WOD now that ABC has postponed another season of Dancing with the Stars until fall 2019. We’ll see…
Monday, Feb. 25
8 PM ET/PT – The Voice
10 PM ET/PT – The Enemy Within
Tuesday, Feb. 26
9 PM ET/PT – World of Dance (two hours)
Sunday, March 3
8 PM ET/PT – World of Dance (time period premiere)
10 PM ET/PT – Good Girls
Thursday, March 7
8 PM ET/PT – Superstore
8:30 PM ET/PT – AP Bio
Tuesday, March 12
10 PM ET/PT – The Village
Tuesday, April 2
9 PM ET/PT – Village (time period premiere)
