Blake Shelton’s New Show ‘The Road’ Finally Has an Air Date

Blake Shelton’s new singing competition series “The Road” will premiere on Sunday, October 19 on CBS. Shelton, a longtime coach on “The Voice” will serve as a producer on the new show, along with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan. 

“The Road” is not your typical singing competition. It will feature 12 talented emerging musical artists each getting the chance to open for country superstar Keith Urban at various venues across the country. Audiences will decide which of the opening acts get to continue on to the next city of the tour. 

Grammy-winner Gretchen Wilson will appear on the show as well in the role of touring manager. “Opening for Keith is not for the faint of heart,” Wilson says in the trailer for “The Road.”

A New Spin on the Competition Genre

The show’s 12 contestants were announced via an Instagram post on June 25 in a carousel of photos featuring each singer along with their names and hometowns. Among them is Billie Jo Jones, a native of Emory, Texas, who has already released an album titled “Some Girls Don’t Cry.” 

As an emerging talent, Jones can attest to the reality aspect of “The Road.” “… it’s definitely a reality TV show, where you see the kinds of things that happen while you’re actually on the road and touring as an artist,” she shared with Cowboys & Indians.

According to Urban, the premise for the show is a real test to see if the performers have what it takes to thrive in the music world. “I spent a lot of my underage life playing in some seedy pubs, sometimes just for the bartender,” he said in a statement. “So I love the idea of throwing artists into a real-world environment to find out if they are artists.” 

Blake Shelton’s Role on ‘The Road’

While it seems Shelton will appear on “The Road,” his on-screen role will not be as prominent as it was on “The Voice.” The singer admitted that he experienced burnout after coaching on the show for 23 seasons. “It was just time for a new chapter, honestly. And I’m ready for it,” Shelton shared with People.

However, Shelton also expressed how much he loves helping fledgling artists find their footing. “It might be my favorite,” he revealed, adding, “If a young, up-and-coming artist ever looks to me for advice or something, I damn sure have plenty of it to give. I love being a country singer so much.”