The hit talent competition America's Got Talent has become one of the first large-budget non-scripted television shows to resume filming after the shutdown of production due to COVID-19.
According to Deadline, Simon Cowell and executive producers Sam Donnelly and Jason Raff spoke about how the show was able to bounce back so quickly.
The NBC show shot the first six audition shows before the shutdown occurred. The challenge when returning was how to resume production on its "Judge Cuts" episode and the live episodes as well.
The show is shot in the Simi Valley on a large outdoor stage that was designed to look like a drive-in theater. To put a bit of comedy into the "6 feet apart" rule, judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara, and creator Simon Cowell will sit in separate cars to watch the performances.
To assist in a smooth production, NBC has snipped the number of "Judge Cuts" episodes from four to one. This episode is set to air July 28. The number of acts was also consolidated from 72 to 60. Lastly, the "best-of auditions" episode will air July 21, along with the 15th anniversary special coming on August 4.
Simon Cowell had a few things to say about getting back to production.
Simon Cowell on the Excitement of Being Back On Set:
"I could see the relief on the crews faces that they were back at work and then we turned around the corner to the set we'd built and it was honestly one of the most amazing experiences I can remember for a long time,"
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