“The Voice”
Tuesday 9pm, NBC
“Voice” is an import of a Dutch singing show that operates much in the vein of “The X-Factor,” but with a twist. Four celebrity judges—Cee-Lo Green, country star Blake Shelton, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, and rapidly foundering pop diva Christina Aguilera—will each draft a “team” of performers, who they will mentor and whittle down to a total of 16 contestants, whose fortunes will be voted on by America (the prize for winning is a recording contract, naturally). But first come the “blind” rounds, where the judges sit in high-backed chairs facing away from the contestants, so that they can pick singers based solely on their voices. Oh, my gosh—what if one of them is UGLY?! Yes, it has come to this.
“The Office”
Thursday 9pm, NBC
After seven seasons, nearly 150 episodes, and countless utterings of “That’s what she said,” Michael Scott checks out of Dunder Mifflin this week as Steve Carell departs the series. While “The Office” has run out of steam, Michael’s exit has been handled brilliantly. The wonderful Amy Ryan is back as Michael’s soulmate (he’s moving with her to Colorado to take care of her elderly parents). Though Will Ferrell enters as his temporary replacement, the season is seeded with hints as to who might take over in his place. Dwight, Andy and Darryl have all been floated as successors (Andy being the most likely, given Ed Helms’ rising film profile). But rumor has it that a slew of guest stars will appear in the season finale in a few weeks, angling for the lead spot next season, including James Spader, Brit Catherine Tate, Will Arnett, Ray Romano (God, no) and show creator Ricky Gervais.
Royal Romances
Friday 8pm–Saturday 6am, TCM
Forget getting up at the crack of dawn so you can watch Britain’s Prince William marry Kate Middleton. Get your beauty sleep, watch the highlights on CNN, and then tune in Friday night for this marathon of classic royal romance flicks. It starts with Fred Astaire and Jane Powell in 1951’s Royal Wedding, followed by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday at 10 pm, Leslie Caron in the Cinderella-themed The Glass Slipper, actual princess Grace Kelly in The Swan, and the 1927 silent film The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, starring Ramon Navarro.