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“America’s Got Talent” is kicking off its 20th season promising it will be one epic ride. “It’s not just about making a TV show; it’s about making an event,” judge Howie Mandel teases.
To pinch a line from “Forrest Gump,” it’s not life that’s like a box of chocolates, it’s “AGT.” You really never know what you’re gonna get. From musicians to magicians, comedians to contortionists, dance troops, sword swallowers, dog acts and guys dressing up in weird costumes, there’s a surprise around every corners. And this season, which returns on NBC May 27, the spectacle is kicked up yet another notch.
“Our show doesn’t get the respect it gets for how we are presenting ‘epic,’” Mandel says. “Somebody talks about the Grammys or they talk about the Academy Awards where they have these great presentations. Every act [on ‘AGT’] is presented like the biggest show on Earth — and they give that same respect to the 75-year-old housewife who has never tried poetry before, hanging upside down from one foot while she lights her umbrella on fire.”
And because it’s not a “singing show” that has a rigid format, showrunner Sam Donnelly says, “We can literally do anything. We can use any part of the theater. We can do acts outside. Anything. It’s so broad, it just makes it interesting, and you’re not stuck in this kind of narrowness. ‘Surprise’ is such a key element of this show that’s so important. The audience really genuinely doesn’t know what’s coming up next.”
This year, Mel B returns to the judges table, where she sat for Seasons 8-13; she replaces Heidi Klum, who is heading back to “Project Runway,” which she hosted from 2004 to 2017.
“Mel B and my myself are like two annoying siblings, who enjoy annoying each other, and we have fun,” Mandel says. “We do that off stage and off show equally. And Sofía (Vergara), what you see is what you get. We aren’t putting on; that’s probably the one area that is not produced. We are who we are. And what you see is what you get, and what we think and what we disagree on is all very real.”
Donnelly doesn’t hesitate for even a second when she tells Mandel that Season 20’s judges’ desk is the show’s best panel ever. “It’s just lovely to see the chemistry between you all,” she says. “It really a ‘feel good panel’ and you know what you’re talking about and you are really different,” she tells him. “But you all get on great. Like a family — like a family, not a dysfunctional family, a real family.”
This season, a real effort is being made to capture the feeling of what it’s like to be there on the day auditions. “The team have worked so hard in making … you feel like if you were a contestant or you wanted to know what it was like to be on ‘AGT’ or to be in the audience there,” Donnelly says. “I think this season captures this more than ever before. There’s something so joyful about our show. Even being there on the day, it’s very fun. To capture that and to try and get that sense has been something we’ve always wanted to do. And I think this year — in the 20th year — is the first time we’ve really managed that.”
Mandel, who says he’s watched “AGT” from day one, believes this season feels as if the show has “leveled up.”
“The 20th anniversary feels like something special. As somebody who has one of the best seats in the house, it’s not only joyful — it’s emotional, it’s exciting,” he says. “Not only is it a variety for your eyes and ears, but it is a variety for your emotions, for your humanity and for your feelings. More than any time in our world that I have been alive, we need an escape. This is the perfect escape where it’s joy, and we bring the world together, we bring humanity together. We have the best team in the world, the best talent in the world, and the best show in the world.”
Sure, the wide range of talents showcased makes “AGT” must-see TV, but it’s the contestants’ personal stories in which they share their dreams and open up about their life hurdles that makes it so relatable to viewers. A lot of times they just need a little encouragement or direction.
Sure, the diversity of the talent makes “AGT” must-see TV, but it’s the contestants’ personal stories sharing their dreams and opening up about their life struggles or hurdles that makes it so relatable to viewers. A lot of times they just need a little encouragement or direction.
“We about 30 seconds to ask them a question. You know, who are you? Where are you from? What does this mean to you?” Mandel says. “Once they’ve kind of landed what this means, and once you relate to this is just another human being like you or me standing there who has all their eggs at this moment in one basket, you can see the tension, the hope, the fear in their faces, in the audience anticipation, and us hoping that it’s good and you kind of achieve what you, what you’re there for. It’s just like, there is nothing more electric and, and lifelike than what we do and what people see on ‘AGT.’”
Whether you’re a loyal fan of “AGT” or have yet to make that commitment, Season 20 is a great place to start. Mandel puts it succinctly: “It’s an exciting escape of entertainment — to escape and connect for two hours in the course of a week with your family, whether you’re five or 95, and get away from the news and from work and from the drudgery that life can throw at each and every one of us, and watch hopes and dreams rise and come true and rise to a level that you’ve never seen before, that is the perfect description of what you’re going to see on ‘AGT’’s 20th celebration.”
English (US) ·