NBC will continue to have an impressive roster of unscripted content in the third quarter.
Having won the last 10 summers in a row, NBC is looking to extend their dominance with the season debuts of America’s Got Talent, American Ninja Warrior, and the addictive Making It.
All three shows will launch NBC’s summer season that begins the week of May 31-June 4.
The 16th season of America’s Got Talent returns on Tuesday, June 1 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) with a new set of aspiring performers looking to compete for the ultimate $1 million prize.
Executive producer Simon Cowell returns to the star-studded judging panel with global fashion icon Heidi Klum, fan-favorite comedian Howie Mandel and acclaimed actress and international superstar Sofia Vergara.
Terry Crews, the dynamic co-star of NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, also returns as host.
This season promises some of the wildest acts to ever grace the “AGT” stage after an unprecedented number of submissions poured in from across the country.
The series dominated last summer’s landscape and ranked as the #1 series on the Big 4 networks in total viewers and led NBC to 18-49 wins among the Big 4 on every Tuesday night (excluding sports).
The show was the most-watched entertainment program nearly every week it aired. In addition to being on top of the ratings game, “AGT” is also a digital/social phenomenon, having amassed 2.95 billion views across all digital video platforms in 2020 and was ranked the #3 most-social broadcast series last year.
“America’s Got Talent” was created by Simon Cowell and is co-produced by Fremantle and Syco Entertainment. Simon Cowell, Sam Donnelly, Jason Raff and Richard Wallace are the executive producers.
Season 13 of American Ninja Warrior, where some of the most elite athletes in the country compete on the world’s most difficult obstacle courses, will return on Monday, May 31 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).
Hosts Matt Iseman, Akbar Gbajabiamila and Zuri Hall are all back to call the action, which is set to take place in Seattle, Los Angeles and Las Vegas for the finals.
The new season will feature more than 400 competitors and, for the first time in “ANW” history, the age limit to compete is being lowered to 15 years old.
Ninja Warrior is a sport that has been rapidly growing across the country and kids of all ages are embracing it in record numbers.
Some of today’s most promising talent are younger competitors and now teenagers will have the chance to compete alongside adult athletes.
A top prize of $1 million will go to the winner if they can conquer all four stages at the National Finals in Las Vegas. To get there, competitors will need to make it through the qualifying rounds and semifinals.
Last season American Ninja Warrior reached 35 million viewers.
The series is executive produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions’ founders Arthur Smith and Kent Weed along with Brian Richardson, Anthony Storm and Kristen Stabile.
Finally, Making It returns for a third season on Thursday, June 3 (8-9 p.m. ET/PT), reuniting two of pop culture’s biggest BFFs and celebrating the creativity and craftiness in all of us.
This season’s eight episodes highlight how making things brings together communities, friends, neighbors and families, serving as a reminder of the importance of positivity and imagination, which is needed now more than ever.
The big surprise is that the network’s summer schedule is poised to bring some much-needed normalcy back to the small screen after a turbulent year due to the pandemic.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.