21 Hours of TV 2012 Fall TV Preview (Wednesday)

Yes, Survivor continues to be amazing.  Yes, Modern Family is the funniest thing on TV.  And yes, I too did a double take when I realized CSI is somehow still on the air.  But make no mistake, this is about settling once and for all that X-Factor, in it's second year, is the best singing competition this side of "The Sing Off".  Since we can all agree that American Idol is on a respirator with it's power of attorney in the hands of a public that has given up hope, the only competition is "The Voice".  And with the ratings basically a tie ball-game, it lands on me to break it down. So here, without further ado, are 5 reasons I think "The X Factor" is a better show than "The Voice".

1.) Simon Cowell - Say what you will about the man in the white T-Shirt and jeans, he has defined what it means to be a reality judge.  His presence offers a legitimacy to the panel that AI has floundered for since he departed.  He also has this incredible knack for being honest and harsh to those that may need to hear it which makes his praise seem all that more weighty when he gives it.  Adam Levine is the closest thing "The Voice" has to someone like him, but the "coaches" don't really have any incentive to be honest when their team messes up, because they are invested in them winning.  It adds up to a show without any teeth or critique and therefore no satisfaction in performance comparison.

2.) The Singers - Maybe it's just me, but I've yet to really fall in love with a performer on "The Voice".  Certainly there have been some good ones, but no one has stopped me in my tracks like Melanie Amaro did  last season on X.  Already this season there have been at least 3 drop-jaw performances on X, and I can't think of a single one yet this season on Voice.

3.) The Prize - $5 Million vs. $100 Thousand.  Literally 50 times larger. Now you may not think this matters to your enjoyment of the show, but if you were a talented singer, which show would you try-out for?  Perhaps reason 2 has something to do with reason 3.

4.) The Stadium - I love the gigantic stadiums for these auditions. "The Voice" feels more like a large karaoke bar while "X Factor" feels like a sold out show.  It adds a sense of grandeur to the proceedings that creates atmosphere and added emotion.

5.) The Variety - While the only difference in eligibility appears to be the lower age limit (The Voice limits contestants to over 15, X Factor has no limit) the way X-Factor uses young singers and groups adds an interesting flavor to the overall competition.  Arguably the two best performances on the two episodes of X Factor this season would not have even been considered for inclusion on Voice. Carly, the 13 year old who brought down the building with her composure, tone, and strength of voice would have been too young, and the guys from Emblem 3, would have never gotten away with doing their original song. Both shows do well at bringing a variety of styles, but only X-Factor ends up feeling like a true variety of people.

I'll be watching both, but I think "The X-Factor" may be one of the most underrated shows on TV.

The Rest of the Week:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday (BELOW)
Thursday
The Weekend

On to the color coded breakdown of the rest of Wednesday.

8PM

ABC - The Middle

CBS - Survivor

CW - Arrow

Fox - The X Factor

NBC - Animal Practice

8:30PM

ABC - The Neighbors
NBC - Guys with Kids

9PM

ABC - Modern Family

CBS - Criminal Minds

CW - Supernatural

NBC - Law & Order: SVU

9:30PM

ABC - Suburgatory

10PM

ABC - Nashville

CBS - CSI

NBC - Chicago Fire

Wednesday's Total:  One 1 hour Drama, Two half-hour comedies, Three hours reality, 5 hours

Overall Total: 4 hours drama, 2.5 hours comedy, 6 hours Reality = 12.5 hours