Last month, “The King of All Media” Howard Stern completed his four-season stint as a judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent. On Thursday, his replacement was announced for the show’s upcoming 11th season: none other than its own executive producer Simon Cowell.

Cowell, a co-creator of the Talent format, has appeared as a judge on American television via the Fox competition shows American Idol and The X Factor. America’s Got Talent will mark his first on-air foray at NBC and his major U.S. series role of any kind since The X Factor was cancelled in 2013.

“Simon knows this format better than anyone and he’s been producing the show with us since the beginning,” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt in a statement, “so we’re thrilled to have him to step in front of the camera and take his rightful place at the head of the judges’ panel. We welcome him to the on-screen NBC family.”

Described as “one of the best judges of talent in the world” by Trish Kinane, president of entertainment at Talent production company FremantleMedia North America, Cowell, perhaps more importantly, also commands a frank, no-holds-barred critique style that has resulted in some of unscripted television’s most iconic moments. The past season of America’s Got Talent averaged a 2.9 rating and 12.5 million viewers during its Tuesday night slot, ranking first in summer reality shows among total viewers for a 10th consecutive year. It was also, in part due to the pending departure of Stern, its most-watched season in four years.

“I am really thrilled to be joining America’s Got Talent next season,” Cowell said in a statement. “What I love about this show is that it’s open to absolutely anyone. America has some fantastic talent just waiting to be discovered, and I would like that talent to come to our show, including any dogs who can sing!”

Read more at Entertainment Weekly.

Brief Take: The return of “mean judge” Simon Cowell to talent-competition TV should give NBC’s summer stalwart a nice shot in the arm when it returns next spring.

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