NBC’s Newest Singing Competition “Sing Off” Begins December 14th

So how many singing shows have we seen on TV?  There has to have been dozens that attempt to ride off the success of American Idol.  None of them have done anything, though, have they?  NBC’s giving it yet another shot with their new singing competition show The Sing Off debuting December 14th at 8:00PM ET (two hour premiere).  It’s hosted by Nick Lachey who isn’t an intentional comic so that’s something.  The show will continue to air on December 15th and December 16th, with the finale on December 21st.

It’s just as much of an Idol ripoff as you could not hope for.  The twist for this one is that all the groups are A Capella singing groups so there you go.  Eight groups will sing against each other.  The judges Shawn Stockham from Boyz II Men, Ben Folds, and Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger judge and vote two groups off a night.  Do the Pussycat Dolls actually sing?  I think I’ve heard a brief moment of something of theirs and I really thought they were just a Vegas strip show that sang occasionally.  Some of the contestants in the first episode sang songs from The Beatles, there was a barbershop quartet, a glee club, and some Bon Jovi “Living on a Prayer” thrown in to get that special audience in the mix.

The ultimate winner will get $100,000 and a Sony contract.  Do A Capella CDs sell well?  Hollywood Junket recently visited the set and said they enjoyed it, as did the audience.  But frankly if you pay audience members enough they’ll enjoy anything.  Not to mention they all have SAG cards ready and they don’t want to be caught gloomy in case someone could use them in the future.  I can’t tell you how many SAG cards I have from people wanting jobs for this specific purpose.  My entire point is that there really hasn’t been a successful singing show beyond American Idol because they found the right format at the right time.  Trying something brand new is your best bet.  The only thing like this that has stuck around is Deal or No Deal and that’s because it was something totally new.  Just try to be unique.  You’d be surprised at the results.