NBC’s ‘The Voice’ season 5 lands premiere date, no word on Usher, Shakira return

NBC continues to plan ahead with “The Voice,” which is probably a very good thing considering that it’s the only real ratings anchor that it has right about now. While some of the ratings have declined this spring, it is largely expected considering that more and more people go out in the summer and stay in as the temperatures cool in the fall. What we can tell you is that the network already has a pretty wise philosophy lined up for the next two months.

The first bit of news is hardly news at all. Season 5 will start up on Monday, September 23, which is the first first official night of the new season. What is more unclear is the future of the new coaches (in Usher and Shakira) to go along with Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. In taking a season off, the two veterans made a risky move, because viewers could embrace the newbies, and they largely have even if some people do miss Cee Lo’s silly outfits and penchant for animal sidekicks.

Anyhow, we should have more news on the coaches’ future later this summer, and it could also depend on whether or not the ratings keep dropping in the weeks ahead.

In addition to season 5, NBC also announced Monday during their upfront presentation that the show is going to be debuting in the new year directly after the Winter Olympics for season 6. This is a great lead-in in its own right, since it will offer up plenty of opportunities to promote. As you would expect, there is no word at all yet about the coaching lineup for that season.

Let’s backtrack now to the current season. We have some contestant rankings up at the link here, and they should serve as a nice companion piece to the full review we’ll have up later in the evening.

Photo: NBC