'The Voice's' EP Mark Burnett on Why The Show Works

And, the reality veteran tells THR what to expect in Season 2.

1:42 AM PDT 6/21/2011 by Jethro Nededog

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Mark Burnett

As The Voice enters its final two weeks, executive producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) says he’s happy with the show’s first season out. “The show has really lived up to my expectations,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter.

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“I think the viewership has showed that if it’s fresh and it feels worthy of your time, people will tune in,” he says. “And we’re seeing that. So, it really lived up to what I wanted.”

The viewing audience definitely showed up to The Voice. The NBC show has consistently dominated its time slot in the key 18-49 adult demo since it premiered in late-April, repeatedly scoring more than 12-million viewers an episode.

“Clearly, the coaches are a huge part of it,” Burnett says of the show’s success. “I mean the chemistry between Christina [Aguilera], Cee Lo [Green], Adam [Levine], and Blake [Shelton] is fantastic. It’s really fresh.”

“The crux of the show is the level of the contestants,” Burnett explains further. “Are they worthy of competing on a show called The Voice? We found really, really special people, even in Season 1 without any big television push.”

While Burnett is pleased with this season’s talent, he tells us that the casting pool always gets a lot richer once the show has aired. “What’s important is next season we’ll find more exceptional performers,” he says.

So, as the semifinal rounds start this week and the series moves closer to naming its inaugural winner on June 29, Burnett already knows what Season 2 will be all about: More of what he believes makes the show different from other reality competitions and resonates with the audience.

“This is a very fast season,” he says. “I think the fact that we’ll have a longer season next year is great, because you’ll get more of the blind auditions and more of those battle rounds.”

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Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter: @TheRealJethro