Why Isn’t ‘The Voice’ on Tonight? When’s the Next New Episode?

The Voice season 26 premiered last night, September 23, with a flurry of new talent, coach antics, and new rules. Fans were pleasantly surprised by how naturally Snoop Dogg took to coaching, while a new Replay Button had fans on the fence. However, fans were also wondering if the show will immediately take to its two-episode-per-week format.

The Voice is not airing a second episode tonight, September 24, or next week on October 1. There will only be Monday night episodes for the first two weeks of season 26, the premiere on September 24 and the second episode on September 30. After the first two weeks, the show will return to its normal format, until election week in November. There will only be a Monday night episode then as well.

The reason for the lack of an episode tonight is the America’s Got Talent finale, which airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. With that conflict of interest on the network, it may be easier to give priority to one show over the other. That way, fans can tune into both series, instead of having to choose.

[RELATED: ‘The Voice’ Hopeful Gets No Turns, but Doesn’t Leave Empty-Handed Thanks To Snoop Dogg]

The Voice Returns to Both Fan Excitement and Division

The return of The Voice brought with it emotional fan reactions as well as some division when the show unveiled a new rule. The Replay Button was a hot topic on social media during the premiere, and we explained its intricacies and function.

Competition hopeful Kendall Eugene’s rendition of Morgan Wallen’s “Don’t Think Jesus” didn’t get a chair turn from Reba McEntire, queen of country, and host Carson Daly was noticeably confused. McEntire stayed facing away from Eugene through the entire performance, but at the end, seemed to realize she made a mistake. Or, possibly a calculated move.

McEntire hit the Replay Button, and fans were shocked. Many fans didn’t initially understand what the new rule meant. It seems that each coach has a Replay Button that they can use during the Blind Auditions. If they don’t turn during a performance, but change their minds after all the coaches turn to meet the performer, they can use their one Replay. This allows them to snag that performer for their team, even though they didn’t turn.

This is a great tool for the coaches to use when they regret not turning, as many fans noted on social media. According to fans, there have been many notable moments during The Voice where coaches regretted their decision but couldn’t do anything about it.

Featured Image by Trae Patton/NBC