Warning! The following contains spoilers for the finale of America’s Got Talent: Extreme. Read at your own risk!
It seemed like America’s Got Talent: Extreme had only just started by the time the finale rolled around. The series from start to finish ran for less than a month over five episodes, which is pretty quick compared to a regular season. Should the spinoff return for Season 2, I think it needs more episodes to reach its full potential.
America’s Got Talent: Extreme had many bright spots like Nikki Bella’s awesome debut as a judge, but if there’s any criticism I can make (beyond the risks involved that caused serious injury to one contestant), the whole thing felt like there was more to give than I got. Let’s run down some of the issues from this season that could be improved upon if another season is green-lit.
The Whole Season Felt Rushed
I don’t think it can be overstated how much America’s Got Talent: Extreme stuffed into five episodes. Even with two-hour episodes, the spinoff still had to use an hour of its finale to show more auditioning contestants and award its final Golden Buzzer to a contestant. That doesn’t seem ideal for any competition show and certainly didn’t help the pacing of the competition. The finale would’ve felt a lot more powerful if the auditions – typically regarded as the opening rounds of AGT – were at least slightly removed from the finale. In truth, this problem lasted the entire season, and it felt like this spinoff could’ve and should’ve gone a lot longer than it did.
There Wasn’t A Lot Of Time To Connect With The Contestants
America’s Got Talent: Extreme introduced a number of contestants worth remembering, such as Wheelz, who finished runner-up to Alfredo Silva’s Cage Riders in the finale. There are so many other notable acts that were featured in the spinoff, but unfortunately, none of them got screentime in the finale. Instead, the hour-long finale featured prolonged video packages on the finalists and a musical performance with Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker. In truth, it’s not at all a bad act for the finale, but it came at the cost of featuring other notable acts who couldn’t be involved in the finale. I would’ve at least liked to see 90-year-old grandma Lillian ride through some fire again with her grandson Hunter, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
More Time Could’ve Fixed Both Of These Issues
At the risk of beating a dead horse, the common factor in both of these issues is time. America’s Got Talent: Extreme has the potential to be a great serviceable spinoff in the franchise, but there need to be more episodes to flesh out a full season and really do it justice. That's assuming that NBC brings it back for Season 2, of course, and there are no guarantees of that happening.
America’s Got Talent: Extreme is done at NBC for now, but those with a Peacock Premium subscription can check the series out there. Now that it’s over, there are plenty of new shows to check out headed to primetime, so keep an eye out for what’s available in the coming weeks.
