On this page
01The take
The Pandemic Season.
The pandemic redraws what the live competition can be — the format runs, but the energy the open-call promise depends on is compromised from the start.
02The shape of the season
A rhythm worth tracking.
Season fifteen runs under pandemic conditions that limit what a live variety competition can be. Audience restrictions dampen the energy the audition and live rounds depend on; the open-call spectacle works best with a full room. Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum at the judging table alongside Cowell and Mandel bring genuine range, but no panel chemistry overcomes a production that cannot deliver the stage experience the show was built around. The season runs quieter than it should.
03Where it sits in the canon
The #15 slot.
Slot #15 of 20 in the America's Got Talent Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.
No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in