For decades, singing competition shows have been a staple on American television. These shows bring together some of the nation’s top singing talents to compete for a prize. Over the years, several of these singing competition shows have produced musical stars who became worldwide sensations.
These singing competition shows have thrilled audiences from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s when the radio and television program The Original Amateur Hour ran. Although not entirely an American show, the Eurovision Song Contest, having premiered on May 24, 1956, and still on air today, remains the longest-running international musical competition show in television history. Bringing it back home, these have been the longest-running singing competition shows on American television.
6. Nashville Star — 6 Seasons
Although the show lasted only 6 seasons, Nashville Star makes the list because of its uniqueness to country music. However, in its final season, contestants were allowed to pick songs from other genres but performed with a country sound. Nashville Star premiered on March 8, 2003, and had a similar format to several other singing competition shows—contestants performing to impress celebrity judges and the public. With the first 5 seasons aired on USA Network, Nashville Star became the longest-running competition series on cable television at the time. The show ended on August 4, 2008, and is notable for pushing the musical careers of several country musicians, including Chris Young, Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewell, and Kacey Musgraves.
5. The Masked Singer — 12+ Seasons
Fox’s The Masked Singer is one of America’s most popular singing competition shows that is still running. The show is the American version of the original South Korean version of King of Mask Singer. However, The Masked Singer has grown in popularity internationally because of the status of its contestants and show format. In The Masked Singer, its contestants are celebrities, who perform in disguise by wearing elaborate, full-body costumes and masks. Each celebrity contestant shares cryptic clue packages about their identity to help the audience, and judges guess who they might be.
Also, a panel of celebrity judges and the audience evaluate the performances and try to deduce who the masked singers are. The Masked Singer premiered on January 2, 2019, and has been hosted by Nick Cannon. It has had a permanent panel of judges since season 1. The judges include Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg, Robin Thicke, and Rita Ora (substituting for Scherzinger). The Masked Singer season 13 is scheduled to premiere on February 12, 2025.
4. Star Search — 13 Seasons
Although not entirely a singing competition show, Star Search stands out for the number of stars it produced or helped launch their careers. The talent show originally aired from September 10, 1983, to May 20, 1995, with a relaunch/revival show that aired from January 8, 2003, to March 13, 2004. The show was initially hosted by Ed McMahon, with Arsenio Hall hosting it when it was revived in the 2000s. Contestants competed in various categories, including singing, comedy, dance, and spokesmodel.
Star Search’s format involves contestants competing head-to-head while receiving scores from judges. Winners advance to the next round, and grand champions are crowned in each category at the end of the season. Notable performers on Star Search included Aaliyah, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child (as Girls Tyme), Justin Timberlake (as Justin Randall), Pitbull (as Armando Perez), Tinashe, and Usher.
3. America’s Got Talent — 19+ Seasons
America’s Got Talent is part of one of the most successful singing competition shows from the Got Talent franchise. The British talent show TV format Got Talent was created by Simon Cowell. AGT, as it’s often abbreviated, premiered on American television on June 21, 2006. For almost two decades and through its 19 seasons, AGT has thrilled audiences nationally and worldwide. Over the years, it has had different celebrity hosts and judges.
While generally a reality talent show, America’s Got Talent has showcased exceptional singing performances. The show follows a format structured in stages. From the nationwide auditions to judge’s cuts, AGT is open to public voting and assessment in the live show stage. America’s Got Talent has succeeded over the years for its emphasis on inclusivity and celebrating diversity in talent. It is currently one of the world’s most beloved and watched talent competition shows.
2. American Idol — 22+ Seasons
The Fox/ABC reality singing competition show American Idol was adapted from the British music competition television series Pop Idol. American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002, and has since set a standard for singing competition shows in the country. The show aims to discover talented singers from across the United States and provide them with a platform to showcase their vocal abilities.
American Idol starts with the audition stage, where potential contestants perform in front of judges to advance to the next stage. During the live show, viewers vote to decide which contestants advance and ultimately win the show. The show also features well-known judges and hosts who provide feedback and critiques. Having aired for 22 seasons, American Idol launched the careers of several successful musical artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Adam Lambert.
1. The Voice — 26+ Seasons
Although it premiered on April 26, 2011, almost nine years after American Idol, NBC/Peacock’s The Voice is currently the longest-running American singing competition show on television. This is because American Idol went off-air for about two years, from April 7, 2016, before returning on ABC on March 11, 2018. The Voice has stood out for 26 seasons because of its unique show format.
The Voice begins with a “blind audition,” where the judges (called coaches) sit in chairs facing away from the singers. This ensures that the coaches judge singers solely on vocal talent rather than appearance. If a coach is impressed by a performance, they press a button to turn their chair around, signaling their desire to mentor that contestant. When multiple coaches turn around, the onus is on the contestant to choose which coach’s team to join.
The coaches train their team members throughout the competition, helping them develop their singing talents to impress viewers. Ultimately, one contestant is crowned the winner based on audience votes. The Voice is known for its engaging format, talented contestants, and the dynamic chemistry between the celebrity coaches and their team members. If you enjoyed reading about these American singing competition shows, check out these top cooking competition shows of all time.
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