What’s Wrong with America’s Got Talent?

When this show debuted two years ago (I know!), I loved it.  It was like that crazy summer reality hit that was kinda good, kinda lousy, and pretty middle of the road.  But now it seems like America’s Got Talent,  NBC’s new summer juggernaut, has sort of turned on itself.  Watching it two nights ago (as I slipped in and out of Sloppy Seconds’ season finale) made me feel disappointed, as if the whole show is becoming a caricature of itself.  And it’s bad enough that we’re elevating David Hasselhoff back to the A-List.  Seriously, the dude singlehandedly ruined the reunifcation of Germany.  What the hell?

After The Jump: Why Talent has jumped the shark

I really wasn’t sure what to think as I tuned into America’s Got Talent (AGT) for the first time this season ON Tuesday night.  It was the Dallas auditions (and kudos, btw, for doing an opening montage a la Dallas) and for some reason, everything seemed very fake.  Fake people, fake judging, Piers Morgan doing his best Simon Cowell, and it just seemed very scripted and polished.  It looked as if you knew the minute an act took the stage, you knew immediately if it was passing or failing.  It’s not like most shows don’t do that nowadays, but on AGT, you knew that the presentation of the acts to the audience wasn’t for the purpose of an audition, but to show exactly who would move on after a previous selection.

What happened to good ol’ days of season one?  You know, when Regis hosted the show and Brandy played the role of “kind, sympathetic female judge”?  When it was little Bianca versus the Quick-Change masters?  If you notice, the auditioners actually got to sit in the audience and watch the other acts.  I hate it now that they’ve completely American Idolidzed the entire format.  Quite honestly, the show kinda sucks.

They’re not the only guilty ones though.  Consider everyone’s favorite animated comedy Family Guy, and compare an early episode versus a later one.  Earlier episodes depict actual story plot lines and arcs, interactions between characters, and the random jokes were funny and truly random.  Nowadays, it just seems that each character is driven to the point where they become gross exaggerations of themselves: Peter has evolved to the very definition of puerile and inane, Stewie is overly effeminate, Meg has transitioned from least-liked child to physical and emotional punching bag, and Herbert (the old man who lusts after Chris) gets more screentime than we need him to, acting more and more like he should appear on To Catch a Predator.  Plus, the inside jokes are getting tiresome.  Sure, its funny to reference pop culture and repeat similar themes, but when the Kool-Aid Guy shows up, like, three episodes in a row, maybe its time to pitch some fresh material.

It’s always a cop-out to say, “Yeah, I liked the show before it got big and turned lame”, but in these cases, its true.  These show were so much more enjoyable to watch before fame and success swallowed any iota of originality and spunk.  It just keeps looking more and more like we’re watching the main characters act as how the public would want to see them instead of how they should act according to the script.  Or perhaps the writers think they know exactly what the audience wants, but the end product is so overdone and stylized, it ruins any likability the show was once known for.  Maybe its just me, but these shows need to slow down and realize they’re doing themselves in.

I’m pretty sure that a world without America’s Got Talent would be a saner, happier place.  I’m not so sure about drawing that conclusion with Family Guy. We already lived through their absence once, and I don’t want to live through it again.

(Photograph via Yahoo!)