If you've been waiting for the return of The Voice - it's back. Except it isn't on SABC3 anymore. M-Net Series Reality has grabbed the rights to it.
Season 4 premiere secretly and suddenly on M-Net Series Reality on Monday,16 December, 2013 at 19h30. Apparently things were only finalised with it at the last moment.
It'll be airing Mondays to Fridays at 19h30 for the full season. Then, on 27 January 2014, the fifth and most current season will start - also for a Monday to Friday night run.
As you probably know, we saw the first two seasons on SABC3 and then it disappeared. Season 3 came and went in the US and there was no sign of it - obviously the time frame when SABC3 lost it.
On one hand the news sucks because now everyone can't see it. Also, Series Reality isn't on the Compact bouquet so even fewer people can see it.
Of course the good news is that we get to see it at all. At the rate SABC3 were going we had nothing. The move means that we'll get up to date quickly because of Series Reality airing Season 5 as soon as possible which never happens on SABC3.
Season 5 premiered in the US towards the end of September this year. Hopefully once we're caught up M-Net Series will air it as close to the US date as possible - as they do with American Idol.
As for Season 3 ... I have absolutely no idea what happened to it. It's been lost to the twilight zone of licensing issues and take-overs. It doesn't matter though because it's stale now, particularly because Season 4 sees the introduction of the show's alternative judges.
Usher and Shakira join the judging panel for the first time and they're super - much better than Christina Aguilera and all her issues. They take over from Christina and Cee Lo Green who went off to do other projects. Christina and Cee Lo return for Season 5.
Monday's premiere episode featured the first round of auditions so if you missed it you haven't missed too much. The next audition episode airs tonight.