The Voice to air remote live shows amid coronavirus lockdown
The Voice fans can breathe a sigh of relief: this season's live shows will go on.
Much like its competitor American Idol, NBC's musical competition series is adapting to our era of social distancing to continue the current season while protecting the health of its crew and talent. The Voice will air live shows produced remotely beginning Monday, May 4, with the Top 17 artists and the four coaches — Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Blake Shelton, and John Legend — all broadcasting from their homes. In the promo above, you can see the coaches setting up (or attempting to set up) their home studios in preparation. Meanwhile, host Carson Daly will present the live rounds from a soundstage without a live audience in front of the signature red chairs.
Logistically, The Voice will stick to its usual schedule of performance episodes on Mondays, followed by results episodes on Tuesdays. Interactions between coaches, artists, and Daly will be recorded live, with artists' performances being pre-taped. As usual, viewers will vote for their favorite performances, and the artists will learn the results live the next day and compete for the Instant Save. Viewers will then get to participate on a new level by voting in real time on which artist will advance to the Top 9 from the Instant Save.
As a bonus, Monday's episode will begin with a special performance by legendary musician James Taylor, who has served as this season's Mega Mentor, performing with the remaining artists he worked with during Knockout Rounds.
The Top 17 artists have been preparing for their performances through remote mentoring sessions with their coaches, helping plan song selection and arrangement as well as choreography and art direction to enhance their at-home performances. The format seeks to preserve all those elements of The Voice that viewers know and love while offering a unique experience for these unprecedented times.
"Reinventing the live shows has allowed us to create innovative ways to bring The Voice to life in a fresh and intimate way,” executive producer Audrey Morrissey said in a statement. “It has been an incredible team effort with the coaches, artists and their loved ones being involved in the process. With Carson at the helm from the stage, we are excited to share a unique Voice experience that will feel both new and familiar.”
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
For the latest information on coronavirus (COVID-19), including how to protect yourself and what to do if you think you are sick, please visit coronavirus.gov.
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