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The Voice season 17 is about to wrap Tuesday, December 17, after the two-night finale in which one of the four finalists — Ricky Duran, Jake Hoot, Katie Kadan, and Rose Short — will be crowned the winner. Which means fans are already looking ahead to season 18. Here’s what we know so far about next season.
Premiere Date
NBC revealed its 2020 midseason schedule back in early November. The Voice will return on Monday, February 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. In the interim, America’s Got Talent: The Champions and Ellen’s Game of Games will be the fill-in shows, with AGT: The Champions airing on Mondays and Ellen’s Game of Games airing on Tuesdays.
The Coaches
The Voice lineup will largely stay the same for the 18th cycle, though there is one big change — Nick Jonas is joining the reality singing competition series for the first time. He will be replacing Gwen Stefani. Stefani isn’t necessarily leaving the show for good, but she is taking time off to resume her Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theater, titled “Just a Girl.” That residency wraps in May 2020, so Stefani would be free to return to The Voice for season 19.
Jonas made the announcement on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in early October, and he says he’s “so excited” about this new venture.
“In addition to the competitive spirit, which will be natural, because I’m very competitive, I think I’m actually looking forward to really trying to help any artist that comes on the show and wants to grow,” he told the talk show host.
In a surprise video, fellow Voice coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend welcomed Jonas to the crew with some tongue-in-cheek threats.
“I’m not sure that you’re even old enough to be a coach on The Voice, but I’m certain that you’re going to get your butt kicked, buddy,” said Shelton.
Legend went a different way, though, saying, “I just have to tell you one thing — our mission is to destroy Blake Shelton. We have to form an alliance — me, you, Kelly. We team up, we beat Blake, nothing else matters, OK?”
The Format
Some fans were disappointed when NBC announced the midseason schedule and they read the description of season 18. The press release read, “The Voice lands on the schedule once a week in midseason, making way for hit show Ellen’s Game of Games to keep its prime spot on the schedule for a few extra months before The Voice moves back to twice weekly for the always-anticipated live shows over the cycle’s final three weeks in May.”
So not only will the show only air once a week from February 25 until May 11, but the live shows will only encompass three weeks, which is half as many live weeks as the show has had for the past several seasons. In fact, you have to go all the way back to season 13 to get less than six live shows; The Voice has never had fewer than four live shows and that was in season one, which was when the show was brand-new and a summer program. Twice there have been five live shows (seasons 13 and 6), but every other season has had six or even seven live shows.
A recap of The Voice season 17 finale performances airs Tuesday, December 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the live two-hour finale at 9 p.m. on NBC.