The Big Picture
- America’s Got Talent is returning next year with a new spin-off called AGT: Fantasy League, where judges will mentor former contenders and fan favorites from different Got Talent franchises.
- Sofia Vergara will be replaced by Mel B as a judge on AGT: Fantasy League, as the show deviates from its usual format. The judges and their chosen acts will compete against each other.
- Viewers can vote for their favorite acts via AGT’s app, with each judge having the opportunity to steal an act using the Golden Buzzer. The spin-off will start right after the Season 18 finale.
America’s Got Talent announced its return next year with a brand-new spin-off as Season 18 nears its conclusion. Titled AGT: Fantasy League, scheduled to premiere sometime in 2024, the upcoming spin-off will be changing the show’s customary format a little bit, with judges mentoring their chosen former contenders from the earlier seasons alongside other fan favorites from different Got Talent franchises. The NBC show will also bring back regular judges for the upcoming spin-off, including Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and — of course — the creator of the popular competition show himself, Simon Cowell. Terry Crews will also return to host the new AGT spin-off.
A Familiar Face Will Take Sofia Vergara’s Place on the Panel
Though three of the regular judges will return for the spin-off, Sofia Vergara — who has been on the show since its 15th season — will be replaced by a familiar face: veteran AGT judge Mel B, whom fans may recognize as Scary Spice of the iconic English girl group Spice Girls. Though the show is no stranger to spin-offs (America’s Got Talent: The Champions, AGT: Extreme, and America’s Got Talent: All-Stars), AGT: Fantasy League is set to be a spin-off that will veer too far from the show’s usual format. According to NBC, each of the judges can choose acts, ranging from “winners, finalists, viral sensations, and fan favorites from America’s Got Talent and Got Talent franchises around the world, all pre-selected by America in an initial vote.”
The judges and their chosen acts will reportedly compete against each other. American viewers will also get a chance to vote for the talents they want to appear in the spin-off, which will start on September 27, right after the Season 18 finale. The viewers can vote via AGT‘s app, with 40 acts to choose from. Each judge will then pick their own line-up of 10, vying to be the spin-off’s first-ever champion. Additionally, the Golden Buzzer will be present on the show; only this time, each judge can use it to steal an act from another.
Vergara, meanwhile, recently walked off stage during filming after Mandel made a joke about her single status. The actress recently made headlines following her split from True Blood actor Joe Manganiello. The two, who were married for seven years, announced the “difficult decision” they made in a statement shared with Page Six. The statement reads, “As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives.”
America’s Got Talent Season 18 finale will air on September 26, with the results set to be announced on September 27.