NBC/Art Streiber
(LOS ANGELES) — Former American Idol judge Simon Cowell kicked off his second season as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, the U.S. version of the franchise he created in England in 2007, and this time, he’s out to rectify what he considers an injustice.
Despite being a consistent ratings hit, AGT gets snubbed at Emmy time, much to Cowell’s frustration. “I watched a couple of episodes last year, and I’m not trying to be biased, but I genuinely thought this was the best TV I’d seen probably in all the years I’ve done it,” he tells Deadline.
Cowell places much of the blame on the fact that AGT airs once a year during the summer months, and that producers simply make the show “look too easy.”
“If I had the opportunity and sat in front of all the TV Academy members, I would say to them, ‘If I showed you the process, the expertise, behind the scenes with every single act, it is like nothing I have ever seen in my life,’” he tells the entertainment industry website.
“But for the production team…to get a nod this time would mean everything,” he adds. “And I will do everything I can just to try and spread some awareness, because I think what they’ve done with this show, I think it is an amazing-looking show, a beautiful show.”
And while Cowell has fond memories of his time on Idol — set to return this fall on ABC — he’s apparently moved on.
“Sometimes you just create magic without realizing you’re creating it…everything just worked. And one by one everybody left and you could feel it coming,” he explains. “For me, [it’s] a memory, a great memory at the beginning.”
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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