TV News: NBC to Premiere Second Season of ‘The Voice’ After Super Bowl XLVI

CHICAGO – Release schedules keep rolling in lately with the Television Critics Association press tour heating up, now giving us a date to circle for the hottest new show of last season. NBC’s hit reality singing series “The Voice” is set to start season two on one of the most watched nights of television, Super Bowl Sunday.

NBC, who will have the exclusive rights to Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2012, will try to get a little extra viewership to their very popular singing competition by premiering all the new contestants right after the biggest football game of the year. “The Voice” will then return the very next night in its regularly scheduled slot of 8 p.m. eastern time on Mondays.

The move by NBC is nothing new to reality television, first seen by CBS premiering “Survivor: The Australian Outback” as the lead-out program of Super Bowl XXXV on January 28, 2001, a premiere that reached 45.3 million viewers.

Following “The Voice” at 10 p.m. eastern this coming February is NBC’s new musical/drama “Smash.” The series, which is produced by Steven Spielberg, will evolve around the cast of a musical and the joys and struggles of making a hit on Broadway. In the age of “Glee,” “Smash” appears to be the first major network show looking to compete for the cash for scripted musical television.

There are also plans in the works for “The Voice” coach and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine to produce a half hour comedy for NBC centering on karaoke.

In other news, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt announced that Sean Hayes of “Will & Grace” fame and Greg Daniels, executive producer of “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” have both made development deals with the network. Hayes, who has had a successful career as both actor and producer, will be working with the network in front of the camera while Daniels will be behind the scenes, producing live-action, animated, and reality shows.

By TIM MARTENS
Contributing Writer
HollywoodChicago.com