The judging wheel on television's glut of singing-competition shows continues to spin, with two new superstar-singers, Usher and Shakira, signing on for NBC's next edition of “The Voice†in the spring.
They will substitute for Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green, arguably the two biggest names on NBC's successful show, who announced that they were taking the fourth cycle of the series off to pursue albums and tours, but will return next fall for the fifth edition of the show (assuming, of course, there is one).
The NBC announcement follows only days after Fox completed its own judging panel for the next “American Idol†by adding three big-selling recording artists, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban.
The changes at “The Voice†carry some risk because the stars have been much more the focus of the format, especially in its early audition phase, when they have to select contestants to mentor without seeing them. The “Voice†judges/mentors have also regularly performed on the show, something that the new “Idol†judges said Monday might become part of their series this year.
Usher and Shakira are big sellers and can be expected to perform on the spring session of “The Voice.†But mixing up the judging panel has not had the best track record for the other talent shows.
Ellen DeGeneres did not have a great success in one season as an “Idol†judge; the two stars who did have one strong season there, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, left after the second season; and the first judging group on Fox's other singing entry, “The X Factor,†was blown up after one season, with Paula Abdul and Nico le Scherzinger out, replaced by Britney Spears and Demi Lovato.
This season ratings for the “X Factor†and “The Voice†have both been down, at least in part because they are on the air at the same time.
But there appears to be no hesitation among top singing talent to hitch themselves, at least for a season, to a television contest featuring amateur or semiprofessional singers.
Bill Carter writes about the television industry. Follow @wjcarter on Twitter.
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