When will The Road air? Release date, what to expect, and more explored

Taylor Sheridan, Blake Shelton, David Glasser, Lee Metzger, and headliner Keith Urban executive-produced The Road, a new music competition series, which will be launched on Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 9:00 PM ET/PT on CBS. 

The show debuts with a special 90-minute premiere and will air on Sundays at 9:00 PM ET/PT thereafter and stream live and on demand to Paramount+ Premium subscribers.

The series combines the high-energy, concert-tour backdrop with an insider view of the pros and cons of life on the road as these artists seek a big break.

Also on board with Urban is Gretchen Wilson, the tour manager of the series and a list of country music advisors, including Jordan Davis, Karen Fairchild, Dustin Lynch, and Brothers Osborne, all of whom will be guiding and advising contestants on the series.

The Road: Premiere, format, and prizes

The Road focuses on 12 budding artists who vie as opening acts with Keith Urban in actual locations throughout the United States.

Contestants will perform in venues such as Tannahill's in Fort Worth, The Factory in Dallas, Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Minglewood Hall in Memphis, and Nashville's iconic Ryman Auditorium. 

"They're going to have to win over billions to get to the next city. There's not a musician in Nashville that wouldn't want the opportunity to have the stage before a superstar like Keith Urban.”

Urban says in the official trailer.

Each week, live venue audiences and judges decide which musicians advance as the tour bus moves city-to-city.

Executive producer Blake Shelton described the format in a recent CBS interview:

"We talked all night. Twelve musicians are on tour with me. They're going to show people what these artists go through."

Produced by Paramount Television Studios, 101 Studios, Lucky Horseshoe Productions, and Bosque Ranch Productions, The Road features Sheridan, Shelton, Urban, Wilson, and others as participants in the casting process, the production process, and appearances.

The winner of The Road will get a cash prize of $250 000, a recording deal, and a stage appearance on the Mane Stage of Stagecoach Country Music Festival 2026 in Indio, California. Two second-place winners will win a Red Bull package as well.

As it is emphasized in the trailer, Wilson comments, being open to Keith Urban is not a job for a weak-hearted person.

According to official CBS and show press materials, the participating contestants are:

• Adam Sanders (36, Lake City, Florida)


• Billie Jo Jones (34, Stillwater, Oklahoma)


• Cort Carpenter (37, Portland, Oregon)


• David J (27, Rotterdam, New York)


• Eliza Petty (22, Lawrence, Kansas)


• Jay Allen (38, Cedar Falls, Iowa)


• Justine Blazer (31, Detroit, Michigan)


• Kayley Bishop (29, Brentwood, Tennessee)


• Presley Tennant (22, Norco, California)


• Tyler Reese Tritt (26, Atlanta, Georgia)


• Willie Morrison (28, New Orleans, Louisiana)


• Zach Stone (30, Austin, Texas).

Filming for The Road took place at notable venues in Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, as mentioned in a TVInsider interview with Taylor Sheridan:

"We wanted to capture what it truly means to be an artist on tour—real venues, real audiences, real stakes."

The show's "docu-follow" structure, eschewing elaborate sets for actual tour bus living, offers a raw depiction of music careers.

According to Keith Urban in the trailer:

“This is the greatest feeling in the world. There’s not a musician in Nashville that wouldn’t want it.”

The Road will air on CBS on Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, beginning October 19, 2025.

Streaming will be available on Paramount+ after broadcast. Its 90-minute premiere is succeeded by regular hour-long episodes every Sunday, with the series shifting to regular time on November 9, 2025.

In a nutshell, what can be anticipated by the viewers in The Road are concert scenes, hard competition, and a glimpse into the life of young aspiring musicians.

Stay tuned for more such updates!