The Voice Season 22: Release Date, Cast, And New Details
"The Voice" wrapped Season 21 with an exciting and suitably star-studded finale. Per TV Insider, judges Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ariana Grande, and Blake Shelton watched on as the final five competitors duked it out for a chance to be crowned the 2021 champion. Along the way, Coldplay and BTS performed their hit duet "My Universe," Tori Kelly and Keke Palmer played "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," and Matthew McConaughey and Nick Kroll stopped by to promote their upcoming, and fittingly titled, animated film "Sing 2."
Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran also took the stage to perform his hit song "Shivers." Despite all the celebrity appearances, however, the focus remained on the performers fighting hard for their place at the top. Everybody made their mark, but despite all the fan attention for new judge Grande, it was Team Kelly who emerged victorious as trio Girl Named Tom were crowned the Season 21 champions. It was an emotional, exciting season all round and, according to TV Series Finale, the ratings were pretty solid too. So, with Season 21 done, what can we expect from Season 22?
When will The Voice return for Season 22?
As TV Series Finale notes, ratings for "The Voice" have dipped slightly over the years. Although, this is par for the course for a show that's been on for so long — and it remains one of NBC's biggest hits regardless. However, although there are typically two seasons of "The Voice" released each year, one in the fall and the other in spring, for the 2021-22 TV season, there was only one, with NBC looking to make it more of an annual must-watch event. However, the show is pretty much guaranteed to be renewed again, particularly given the fact Ariana Grande was such a major acquisition as a judge on Season 21.
Monsters and Critics reckon we can expect Season 22 in fall 2022, reiterating the network's position on making it more of an annual event. Frances Berwick, Chairman, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, previously told Deadline, "The Voice' remains one of the most popular shows on television and we want to keep it that way. We want to eventize this iconic series." Berwick added, "We think 'The Voice' will be on NBC for a very long time to come."
Monsters and Critics guesstimated we could see new episodes starting September 19, but that's purely conjecture at this point. Suffice to say, it's most likely coming back either way.
Who will be in the cast of The Voice Season 22?
Although "The Voice" has been a reality TV staple for over a decade, per IMDb, when Ariana Grande joined the team as a judge in Season 21, it made the show a must-watch for a plethora of new fans. As her co-star John Legend gushed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, "I think Ariana being our new coach, it might have attracted some good talent to the show, and it's pretty evenly distributed throughout the teams." Legend loved working with the pop star, and confirmed everyone else did too, primarily because she brought a whole new energy to the experience that made the rest of them appreciate it even more.
The feeling was clearly mutual, as Grande herself enthused in an interview with E! News (via YouTube). We'll have to wait and see whether she'll come back for Season 22, but it certainly looks like a possibility. After sharing how much she appreciated getting to work with Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton, with whom she was paired for the interview, the pop star gushed, "I can't wait to work together on whatever is next." Grande added tellingly, "Where it happens to be right and where we see fit, I am running back as soon as possible. If it's this group, I'll be so happy."
As it stands, there has no confirmation on the cast of "The Voice" Season 22, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
What else do we know about The Voice Season 22?
There could be big changes afoot at "The Voice" when it returns for Season 22. As Radar Online reported, NBC might be looking to replace long-time judge Blake Shelton off the back of how popular Ariana Grande has been with viewers. "Current top ten artists like Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, Billie Elish, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Weeknd, were all hesitant about starring on a competition show before Ariana Grande signed on," a source revealed. "Now she has changed everything and opened the flood gates to future relevant talent which isn't good news for Blake Shelton. Sure, he is a star and people love him, but he doesn't exactly burn up the charts anymore."
As a result, after ten successful years on the show — during which his wife Gwen Stefani also briefly served as a judge alongside him — Shelton might be sent packing shortly so that producers can bring in "someone younger and more current." A Hollywood agent also admitted that it's time for a change, because otherwise the ratings will suffer.
However, getting rid of Shelton might have an adverse affect too, since he helped launch the show all the way back in 2011 alongside Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green and Adam Levine. So, it seems like fans will just have to wait for Season 22 to see if he continues being the face of "The Voice."