When Do Live Shows Start for ‘America’s Got Talent’?

AGT, Americas Got Talent

NBC The live shows for "America's Got Talent" season 15 begin on August 10, and viewers will get to vote for and save their favorites using the AGT app.

This season of America’s Got Talent is picking up steam, and live shows for the season will be aired starting soon. First, there will be a Best of Auditions episode as well as a Judges Cuts episode.

According to the episode synopsis, celebrity judges Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel will “revisit some of the biggest, best and most show-stopping moments from the 15th season.” Host Terry Crews will be featured in the episode as well. 

Read on to learn more about the season 15 schedule for America’s Got Talent. 


Judge Cuts Will Air on July 28

Judges’ cuts will air on July 28, one week after the show airs a “best of” auditions episode that goes through the best auditions we’ve seen so far.

“As bad as it is, you always have to find a solution to get back to work,” Cowell told USA Today via email. “I have sympathy for so many people in this situation, but if our show is an example, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s different, but hopefully, it will still be as popular.”

According to Jenny Groom, NBC’s executive vice president of alternative programming, they were never considering the idea of scrapping the entire season.

“We wanted to figure out how can we do this in a safe manner and for fans to feel like they still get the show they love. We also talked a lot about how this is this show we feel America needs right now. They need to feel like they can escape,” she told USA Today.

The Judges Cuts episode filmed at a drive-in like studio where the cast and crew were able to be outside and more easily follow social distancing guidelines.


Live Shows Start on August 11

Live shows for the season will begin airing on August 11, no matter what form they end up taking at that point according to the USA Today report.

The crew will navigate the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing when they do return for live shows, and there will be 44 acts performing over four weeks of live quarterfinals.

Some of the acts that auditioned for the show did so via video, as they were eager to get back to their homes before COVID-19 restrictions increased. In the final audition episode, which aired on July 14, there was an hour-long session of people who auditioned remotely rather than in-person.

Here’s what we know about the ‘AGT’ Season 15 schedule so far:

  • July 21: Road to live shows, audition highlights
  • July 28: Judge Cuts
  • August 4: AGT 15th Anniversary Special
  • August 11: Live Shows Begin, Quarterfinals
  • August 18: Quarterfinals
  • August 25: Quarterfinals
  • September 1: Quarterfinals

For these live shows, producers are hoping to have most of the acts perform in front of the judges in a venue large enough to accommodate social distancing. That venue may still be Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, and they may be trying to get a virtual audience at the shows.

Of course, plans may still change for ‘AGT’ moving forward if regulations change or if there is a spike in infections.

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