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TV This Week

‘The Voice,’ in a slightly lower key

Season three finale airs with ratings down from last spring

By Toni Fitzgerald

December 18, 2012

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cassadee As the other broadcast networks are fond of pointing out, ratings for the Monday edition of the NBC hit show “The Voice” are down in season three after hitting spectacular heights in season two.

But that really doesn’t matter.

The show has helped NBC to its best fall in years. The network will finish first during fourth quarter for the first time in almost a decade, something pretty much no one predicted heading into the season.

In a two-hour episode starting tonight at 9 p.m., “Voice” will crown the season champ. There are three contestants left, and Casadee Pope, of Blake Shelton’s team, is the favorite to win.

Oddly, the finale may not draw huge ratings, or at least the finales for the first and second seasons didn’t. They didn’t even hit season highs.

The fun of “Voice” is in the early rounds, when the coaches are choosing their teams based solely on the quality of a singer’s voice and not in how their face or body looks, factors that tend to influence the judges on the similarly themed “American Idol” and “The X Factor.”

This season’s lower ratings are understandable.

Last season “Voice” had a huge advantage. It aired its season premiere behind the Super Bowl, drawing absurdly high ratings and fueling very strong numbers in the several weeks following the game. That makes direct comparisons to last season a bit unfair.

Nonetheless, “Voice” has averaged a 4.4 adults 18-49 rating on Monday, down 15 percent from a 5.2 last season. On Tuesdays the show has drawn a 4.0, which is actually up from a 3.6 last season, but last season the Tuesday editions of the program did not begin until much later in the season, when ratings tend to be lower.

But what’s more important is where “Voice” ranks competitively this season.

It’s the No. 4 and 5 show on TV. Combined with “Sunday Night Football,” that gives NBC three of the top five shows on television, which these days is good enough to build a big lead during the fall season.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	Tony’s father visits for Christmas.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Charlie Brown Christmas” (A)	The classic holiday special airs yet again.
9 p.m.	NBC	“The Voice” (R)	Season finale. The season three winner is selected.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Happy Endings” (C)	The group finds out that Jane’s birthday is actually on Christmas.
10 p.m.	BBC America	“Ramsay’s Christmas Cookalong” (A)	As if you needed incentive to watch, David Hasselhoff makes an appearance.
11:35 p.m.	NBC	“Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (T)	Quentin Tarantino and LeAnn Rimes both guest.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“NBA Basketball” (S)	A battle for New York between the Knicks and Nets.
8 p.m.	Fox	“The X Factor” (R)	The remaining contestants have their final performances of the season.
8 p.m.	CBS	“A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts” (A)	The 14th annual adoption awareness event, this year hosted by Rascal Flatts.
8 p.m.	NBC, Telemundo	“Miss Universe” (A)	The 61st annual pageant, hosted by Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic.
9 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Basketball” (S)	Good nonconference game between North Carolina and Texas.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Chicago Fire” (D)	A handful of the firefighters are accused of stealing valuables.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC	“A White House Christmas” (A)	Memories from Michelle Obama and a group of former first ladies.
8 p.m.	Fox	“The X Factor” (R)	The season two winner is selected.
8 p.m.	ESPN	“College Football” (S)	The Poinsettia Bowl between BYU and San Diego State.
9 p.m.	ABC	“CMA Country Christmas” (A)	Holiday special hosted by Jennifer Nettles.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Jersey Shore” (R)	Series finale. This show is finally over. Get ready for “Buckwild.”
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Time	Network	Program	Description
7:30 p.m.	ESPN	“College Football” (S)	Yes, this actually exists — it’s the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Prestigious.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Back to the Beginning with Christiane Amanpour” (N)	The first half of a two-parter looking at the history of biblical stories.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Fringe” (D)	Nina Sharp makes an appearance in the fall finale.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Ghost Adventures” (N)	A look at haunted bars and restaurants.
10 p.m.	E!	“Fashion Police” (N)	Tiffani Thiessen and Rob Kardashian both guest.
10 p.m.	Syfy	“Haven” (D)	Season finale. Audrey deals with her personal issues as she, Nathan and Duke prepare for the Bolt Gun Killer.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22
Time	Network	Program	Description
6 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Basketball” (S)	An interesting early-season matchup between Illinois and Missouri.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cases include an undercover prostitution sting in California.
8:20 p.m.	ESPN	“NFL Football” (S)	The high-flying Falcons visit the lowly Lions.
9 p.m.	NBC	“WWE Tribute to the Troops” (S)	The 10th annual event features the interesting mix of Kid Rock and The Muppets.
10 p.m.	Investigation Discovery	“Fatal Vows” (N)	Investigating a case of a murdered doctor.
10 p.m.	TBS	“Wedding Band” (C)	The group gets a job at a corporate event for the company that Eddie works for.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	PBS	“Christmas at Luther: Tidings of Comfort and Joy” (A)	A traditional Christmas celebration from the college in Decorah, Iowa.
8:20 p.m.	NBC	“Sunday Night Football” (S)	The 49ers play on Sunday night for the second straight week, this time against division rival Seattle.
9 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives of Atlanta” (R)	The Anguilla trip seems to be going well, but it wouldn’t be “Real Housewives” without some drama.
9:30 p.m.	ABC Family	“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (M)	Not the animated classic, but the live-action, way less classic Jim Carrey version.
10 p.m.	History	“Bamazon” (R)	An excavator finds himself in a dire situation.
11 p.m.	NBC Sports Network	“Boxing” (S)	It’s a Philadelphia fight night between heavyweights Bryant Jennings and Bowie Tupou.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.