'The Voice': Eight Ways We'd Improve Future Seasons
The Voice - Season 9
QUIT TRYING TO BE SCRIPTED
We can't really argue with wins by the super-talented Alisan Porter, Jordan Smith and Sawyer Fredericks the last three seasons. But the show's heavy-handed setup of these vocalists — from spotlighting their four-chair turns in the season premiere to trumpeting weeks worth of "you're gonna win this!" comments from the entire panel — made it feel like their coronations were an inevitability and kept us from getting fully invested in dark-horse runs from their plucky rivals.
The Voice - Season 10
GIVE US SOME SUSPENSE, ALREADY!
Raise your hand if you're sick and tired of Carson Daly announcing there'll be a Coaches' Steal before a Battle or Knockout Round even begins — and if you'd like at least one or two episodes where the placement of a Steal isn't predictably the episode-ending showdown. Look, we get that the show values which team an artist will choose more so than whether an artist will remain on the show at all, but there's suspense and excitement to be mined from both scenarios — trust and believe us, Peacock Net!
The Voice - Season 10
RETHINK THE SEMIFINAL BLOODBATH
Doesn't there have to be a better system than the eight-down-to-four horror show of Semifinal Results Night? Cutting two finalists per week from the Top 12 forward would result in the same four-contestant finale — without unleashing more blood than an elevator in The Shining.
The Voice - Season 10
NO MORE MONTAGES!!!
There is sooooo much padding built into every Voice episode — recaps of what you missed five minutes ago, extended riffs on what's coming after the break, the muttering of Adam Levine — that there's no excuse for Mark Burnett to continue the show's maddening tradition of relegating a handful of Blind Auditions, Battles, and Knockout Rounds to blink-and-you-missed-'em snippets. Maybe these moments don't fit the show's narrative arc, but their arbitrary omission adds a peculiar aftertaste in the early weeks of each season. (Pictured: Katherine Ho — who got montaged in the Blinds, Battles and Knockouts in Season 10!)
The Voice - Season 10
GIVE ADAM A VACATION
The show could survive one season with the Maroon 5 frontman on the sidelines, no? A little break might help the dude get back his coaching mojo and reduce that undercurrent of ennui that's crept into his on-air persona, too. And as for The Voice's all-important bromance, let's be honest: Blake Shelton's capable of amusing chemistry with a boiled rutabaga. (No, that wasn't a Carson Daly dis... sheesh, people!)
The Voice - Season 10
KILL THE KARAOKE
Bryan Bautista's "Sorry," Hannah Huston's "Every Breath You Take," Paxton Ingram's "How Will I Know." Love 'em or hate 'em, they were the rare Season 10 stabs at attempting to freshen up well-known hits with interesting, unexpected arrangements. The show's love of coloring strictly within the lines is baffling when you consider each contestant has an experienced songwriter/producer/arranger in his or her corner. Sure, big, bold tweaks require more work than straight-up-the-middle covers, but they also create social-media buzz and (done correctly) spur iTunes sales. In this economy, Adam, Blake & Co. are being paid enough to put in a few extra hours of rehearsal, yes?
the-voice-season-11-results-performances
PROMOTE YOUR ALUMNI WITH WEEKLY PERFORMANCES
Note to NBC: Your hundreds of former contestants didn't cease to be amazing when their seasons ended. Maybe remember that fact when you're attempting to pad your weekly one-hour results telecasts — and throw regular bones to the artists on whose backs you built your empire.
The Voice - Season 10
LET XTINA BE GREAT (OR LET HER GO)
Christina Aguilera (who'll sit out Season 11 while newbies Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys occupy spinny red chairs) simply isn't a good enough actress to feign enthusiasm for fair-to-middling vocal performances — and we're tired of watching her try. As one of the most technically stunning pop stars of her generation, shouldn't producers encourage her to give honest, constructive feedback during the live shows? Sure, said feedback might sting, but the honesty would look beautiful on her. Heck, maybe an off-leash Aguilera would lead her fellow panelists to the land of delicious candor, too.