Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the series premiere of The RoadCountry superstar Blake Shelton and Western TV king Taylor Sheridan’s foray into reality television is different from anything we’ve seen before. The Road is billed as a competition series in which 12 aspiring musicians compete as opening acts for Keith Urban. The way the series is formatted is like a typical competition talent show, but instead, it focuses on the documentary aspect of the journey of performing rather than celebrating the music.
The audience is there, technically, to see Urban as the headliner, but he’s just the draw in order to film a reality show. He sits in the back with Shelton, secretly judging the acts before deciding which of the bottom three voted artists will be eliminated. So, what exactly is The Road, and what even is Urban’s practical purpose?
Taylor Sheridan’s ‘The Road’ Has Keith Urban Stuck in a Weird Spot
If you turn back the clock to the days of Nashville Star, The Road is the closest comparison, simply based on the genre of music that artists are producing on the show. But then, the series pulls back the curtain and exposes the inner workings of how these 12 individuals were selected, who they are, and why they need this opportunity. Remember, the opportunity, as presented here, is to open up for the CMA-winning artist. It’s a jam-packed premiere that becomes a hodgepodge of many types of shows, but we’re still meant to understand that this show is to find a winner who succeeds by winning over a crowd while opening up for Keith Urban. Did you follow all that?
Before each performance, Gretchen Wilson guides the singers through an albeit brief rehearsal process. Wilson has a presence and purpose on The Road. Keith Urban just sits in the back of the bar until it’s his time to take the stage. Then, we get one song after he thanks the crowd for sticking around for 12 performances on a Sunday night. His performance is filled with the contestants suggesting that what they see Urban do could have improved their individual competitive performance. But again, we’re not privy to their full song, so we have to take what they say with a grain of salt.
‘The Road’ Falls Very Flat for the TV Viewer at Home
On the first tour stop in Fort Worth, we’re given the lay of the land of how the show is set up. After each performance, Shelton (who likely won’t be around each concert) and Urban chat about what they witnessed, which ultimately leads to us learning that they chose to chop Blaine Bailey. What makes Blaine’s elimination even worse is that he was relegated to one of the last performers of the night before the headliner. No wonder the crowd didn’t vibe with him — they were waiting for the superstar so they could go home!
Urban is the main event and the draw into The Road, but at what cost? The viewers at home are not truly involved as much as we should be. We’re watching a documentary about the behind-the-scenes of an extended pageant. Like The Masked Singer, the “studio” audience voting process has nothing to do with the audience at home. Unlike The Masked Singer, there’s no at-home game to play.
‘The Road’ Could Technically Exist Without Keith Urban
Unfortunately, Keith Urban is used as a prop to draw individuals in. There is absolute potential in all 12 of the emerging artists, but they’re overshadowed by the presence of the actual country superstar hitting the stage after them. Yes, it exposes the difficulty of being an opening act, but it should serve as a reminder that sometimes opening acts are the next big thing. For viewers at home, how are we supposed to champion any of these singers if we don’t get to hear them fully?
Blaine Bailey is the first one out, but now it’s up to us to decide if we’re actually intrigued enough to research him on our own. The Road should not be billed as a competition reality show. It’s perfectly fine to be a docuseries depicting emerging musicians as opening acts, as that’s a fascinating story in itself. Live audience influence is crucial in the music industry, but the reality is that the producers will determine who our winner is, not us.
The Road airs Sundays at 9:30pm on CBS. All episodes are available to stream on Paramount+.
