America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network. It is a talent show that features amateur singers, dancers, magicians, comedians and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of US$1 million. The show debuted in June 2006 for the summer television season.

The show concept can be traced back to the British talent contest Opportunity Knocks, which started as a radio programme in 1949 before moving to television in 1956. Among its significant features were that it gave an opportunity to talented amateurs or unknown performers, with the results decided by a public vote.

The format was sold by Simon Cowell after he originally produced the show that was to have been called "Paul O'Grady's Got Talent" (as can be seen by the application for a Trademark for this name at blank">http://www.ipo.gov.uk/tm/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2398862 ) - but was postponed from 2005 until 2007, and when it was eventually launched in 2007 it was called, "Britain's Got Talent" due to the fact that Paul O'Grady defected from ITV to Channel 4. Unlike the British version, Cowell does not appear as a judge due to the conditions of his _American Idol contract.

America's Got Talent began airing season one in the United Kingdom on ITV2 on 22 June 2007, and in New Zealand on Prime Television New Zealand on 9 July 2007.

NBC has announced that America's Got Talent has been renewed for a third season. http://entertainmentnow.wordpress.com/2007/08/04/nbc-renews-last-comic-standing-and-americas-got-talent/

The sound made when the judges "check" an act was originally the sound used when spins are passed on "Press Your Luck". The sound made when the judges "X" an act is the strike sound used in "Family Feud".