‘The Voice’ season 8 premiere date revealed; ‘The Night Shift,’ ‘Undateable’ returning in midseason

NBC made much of their midseason schedule clear today, but let’s start here with what may be the biggest news for some of you reality fans out there: The official premiere date for “The Voice” season 8.

The reality competition, which will feature the return of Christina Aguilera in the place of Gwen Stefani, will officially kick off come Monday, February 23 at its typical 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. We’re interested to see if Christina’s arrival changes anything; as it is, this is a reality show that while still strong, is not necessarily the ratings monster that it once was. Part of that may just be viewer fatigue after so many seasons, but we cannot really say if the show would have fared better if it was airing in a different manner, such as only once a season.

As for a few other important notes.

1. Summer series “The Night Shift” and “Undateable” are each getting some nice burn next year, and following “The Voice” to boot. The former show is coming on following the premiere of “The Voice,” in the spot currently occupied by “State of Affairs.” Meanwhile, “Undateable” returns with hopefully more laughs on Tuesday, March 17 after a new episode of the singing show.

2. As for other new shows, drama “The Slap” starts on Thursday, February 12, comedy “One Big Happy” will follow “Undateable,” and the much anticipated miniseries “A.D.” will be turning up on Sunday, April 5 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. The hope there is for it to eventually become the new version of “The Bible,” which was a monster over on History.

What do you want to see the most from NBC next year? Let us know right now with a comment.