What That Fresh Twist for ‘The Voice’ Season 26 Means for the Series

With new faces on the revolving chairs, Season 26 will be interesting…

The Big Picture

Season 26 of The Voice features a diverse coaching panel with Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, Michael Bublé, and Snoop Dogg.
The show strives to balance the coaches’ expertise and chemistry, worrying some fans with the risky panel selection.
The Artist selection process on The Voice focuses on the coaches rather than the contestants, ensuring a consistent appeal throughout seasons.

The coaching lineup is an ever-revolving door on The Voice. Whether it’s who is available or what, the inconsistency of who will be coaching season after season creates an interesting vibe for the type of artists that seek out a spot on The Voice. With Season 25 bogged down with two country acts on the judging panel, some fans felt it was too much. Now that the Season 26 panel is officially announced, they solved the country problem and then overextended and overcompensated. Returning once again are Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, who will be joined by first-time coaches Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg. The musical stylings of the judges are quite diverse, but is this panel too risky for certain artists to audition for? With each star chosen for their incredible expertise in what they do, are they individually too specific for certain contestants to want to work with? What would Snoop Dogg provide to a rogue country artist he selected? Does Michael Bublé’s versatility outweigh his little comparative superstar power enough? Fans are always presented with a surprise by seeing how the coaches gel with one another, but this quartet seems like they’re going to lack all the chemistry. And that’s not exciting to watch either.

For twenty-five straight seasons, The Voice has been a fan-favorite reality singing competition that not only showcases rising stars in the music industry, but also pits the celebrity coaches against one another as they lead their teams to victory. With each season featuring a different conglomeration of music superstars on the coaching panel, the show features an assortment of rounds that tests their competitors. But nothing is more exciting than the blind auditions. As the focal point of the series, fans are eager to see which of the celebrities turn their chair for their talents, hoping they battle it out in the process. Sometimes the artists pick the obvious coach that fits their brand and genre. Other times, viewers are left scratching their heads because how in the hell will this dynamic work out? With two new coaches joining the mix, the crop of talent entering the blind auditions for Season 26 may have their toughest decisions yet.

The Contestants Don’t Make or Break a Season

Since The Voice premiered on NBC in 2011, the appeal hasn’t necessarily been on the artists who are hoping to win at the end. It was about which famous musician would be sitting in a giant spinning chair, bantering with their fellow coaches. When it comes to the show’s post-show track record, The Voice has not achieved as much success compared to the artists coming off of American Idol, but that’s not what the show is truly about. The artists come in secondary compared to the coaches. The contestants don’t make or break a season. It’s the celebrity coaches that do.

When the show premiered, the original coaching panel comprised of Adam Lavine, Blake Shelton, Cee-Lo Green, and Christina Aguilera. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton soon became television’s new odd couple with their brilliant dynamics. As new coaches came and went, Adam and Blake were the perennial staples, with Adam Levine remaining until Season 16 and Blake Shelton on the panel until Season 23. With the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Pharrell Williams, and John Legend staying for long stints at a time, there was some familiarity for the fans. But then there were some short stints from megastars like Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson that teased viewers just enough to watch, but were disappointed when they would bounce.

Capturing the perfect coaching panel on The Voice is near impossible. You’re never going to satisfy everyone. There will always be someone who will have something to whine and complain about. But there needs to be some standard goals that must be checked off. There has to be a country artist. There has to be a high-profile superstar. There must be diversity in the music the coaches have expertise in. And there must be good chemistry. When The Voice promotes the show, it’s always about the coaching panel. Fans are eager to see the banter and booming rivalries. Of course, there are some major factors that could affect who is put on the panel. These are some of music’s biggest and brightest. They’re busy making music and touring! So, if availability is lacking, the coaching panel could suffer. Following the announcement of the Season 26 coaching panel, many fans were left scratching their heads wondering how The Voice ended up with this quartet.

‘The Voice’ Season 26 is Going To Be a Bumpy Ride

The previous season of The Voice was quite country heavy. Even despite a country act not winning the season, the fans rallied behind the country superstar to allow her team to dominate in the finale, with winner Asher HaVon and runner-up Josh Sanders being a part of Team Reba. Between Reba McEntire and Dan + Shay as coaches and Keith Urban as the megamentor, it felt as if the show truly wanted to showcase the genre. A large portion of viewers stray toward country music as their preferred genre of choice, some fans of the show feel alienated by its heavy-handed approach. With the novelty of the double chair worn off, on top of Dan + Shay’s touring schedule, The Voice is recruiting new blood. And not dipping into the country music pool. Oh no, they are going to the complete opposite ends. To supplement country music, they are going with a rap star and a contemporary jazz singer.

Snoop Dogg has had a storied history in the music industry, beginning his career in the early 90s. But many people know him in this decade for his admiration for marijuana and his bizarrely close relationship with Martha Stewart. Michael Bublé has been the king of niche music. He’s likely your mom’s favorite singer on the planet. The Canadian singer has a number of accolades to his name, as well as being the King of Christmas. On paper, compared to some other names that have joined The Voice, they will certainly bring a new chemistry. Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé may be making their coaching debut on Season 26, but this will not mark their first appearances on the show. Both artists have been featured as part-time advisors. Snoop Dogg appeared during Season 20, while Michael Bublé was featured all the way back during Season 3. Their high-profile statuses are enough to make them worthy of their positions, but can they engage enough with potential contestants to want to pick them?

Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani have had many seasons as coaches on The Voice. They know how to play the game, though they only have a victory each during their tenure. For the future contestants of the season, their choices of whom to work with will be dependent on the pitches the coaches offer. It’s going to take a lot more than their music background. Reba McEntire is the queen of country music. Gwen Stefani is country adjacent thanks to her marriage to Blake Shelton. Michael Bublé knows the standards better than anyone. And Snoop Dogg is there for a good time! While Snoop Dogg will take the rap spot from Chance the Rapper, Chance’s wheelhouse of knowledge was just slightly grander. These four will need to bounce off one another to keep things spicy or have some of the best team merch to woo the singers after the Blind Auditions. Snoop Dogg and Michael Bublé might need more than a hat or a jacket. They should invest in some trips, cars, and houses to get artists to pick them!

The Voice is available to stream on Peacock.