In the quest to thwart delayed DVR viewing, “live” has become TV’s popular watchword. And with Neil Patrick Harris having demonstrated his diverse talents hosting every imaginable award show, it’s hard to blame NBC for wanting to see if some of that charm could be bottled and applied to a weekly series. The result, “Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris,” made its debut Tuesday, yielding an energetic but slightly headache-inducing hour, one that only marginally exploited its star beyond his pleasant disposition. The result was loud and brash, but at best, a so-so time was had by all.
Adapted from a British format (a country with an established knack for this sort of fare), the series did create a wacky tone. Yet the live element was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of canned material squeezed into the premiere, including (opportunistically, to be sure) an extended section in which Harris punked the coaches on “The Voice,” NBC’s all-purpose tie-in.
Related Stories
VIP+Hollywood Must Define AI Technical Standards to Prep for Its Future
Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Tony Vinciquerra to Receive the Variety Vanguard Award at Mipcom
Popular on Variety
Although the show injected various bits into the episode — including one where Harris had followed a couple around weeks in advance, even photo-bombing their wedding — the episode only sparked to life when Harris and guest announcer Reese Witherspoon engaged in a climbing stunt, which left the actress looking understandably flustered. What the series couldn’t sustain, the efforts of Harris and the wildly appreciative studio audience notwithstanding, was any consistent sense of spontaneity.
The biggest surprise, frankly, was that “Best Time Ever” made scant attempt — until the closing moments — to capitalize on Harris’ gifts as a song-and-dance man, instead somewhat squandering him by having the host rattle off quiz-show questions and play disguised characters. While the series had the feel of an old-time variety show, some of the most logical variety elements were noticeably scarce.
For all that, “Best Time Ever” represented a leap forward from something like Fox’s botched summer experiment “Knock Knock Live,” without capturing the sense of risk or unpredictability that has defined specials like Nik Wallenda’s high-wire stunts. While the latter might sound like a lot to ask, the request sounds more reasonable when you’ve spent the whole summer touting the show as “Live!”
In Harris, the enterprise has an innately likable ringmaster, but that will only go so far. Genial to a fault, Harris told Variety, “At worst, it fails. And if it fails, then I’ll do something else.” Harris certainly won’t have trouble finding something else to do if “Best Time Ever” doesn’t succeed. But if the host, producers and NBC would like to forestall that option for a while, seeking ways to make the series a better time — or at least a more compelling one — would probably be the prudent move.
Read More About:
Jump to CommentsTV Review: ‘Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris’
(Series; NBC, Tue. Sept. 15, 10 p.m.)
More from Variety
Katy Perry Announces Release Date for House-Inspired New Single ‘Lifetimes’
Take-Two Earnings Emblematic of Endless Risk-Taking in Gaming Biz
Katy Perry to Receive Video Vanguard Award, Perform Hits Medley on MTV VMAs
Chris Hemsworth Plays Drums in Surprise Appearance at Ed Sheeran’s Romania Concert
Content Owner Lawsuits Against AI Companies: Complete Updated Index
Taylor Swift Brings Out Ed Sheeran to Perform ‘Everything Has Changed,’ ‘End Game,’ ‘Thinking Out Loud’ During London Eras Tour Show
Most Popular
‘Inside Out 2’ Becomes First Animated Film to Hit $1 Billion at International Box Office
Box Office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Returns to No. 1 in Fifth Weekend as ‘The Crow’ Bombs and ‘Blink Twice…
Channing Tatum Says Gambit Accent Was Supposed to Be ‘Unintelligible’ at Times and He Was ‘Too Scared to Ask’ Marvel for the Costume to Bring…
Ryan Reynolds Was ‘Mortified’ to Cut Rob McElhenney’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Cameo but the ‘Sequence Wasn’t Working’: ‘I Had to Kill a Darling…
‘Ted Lasso’ Eyes Season 4 Greenlight With Main Cast Members Returning
Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher Drop Biggest Hint Yet That Group Is Reuniting
China Box Office: 'Alien: Romulus' Becomes Hollywood's Second Biggest Film of 2024
Chris Hemsworth Plays Drums in Surprise Appearance at Ed Sheeran’s Romania Concert
Taylor Swift Praises Charli XCX After ‘Sympathy Is a Knife’ Reignited Feud Rumors: ‘Her Writing Is Surreal and Inventive’
‘Super/Man’ Trailer: Christopher Reeve Doc Captures the Late Actor’s Superhero Stardom and Life After His Near-Fatal Accident
Must Read
- Film
‘Megalopolis’ Trailer’s Fake Critic Quotes Were AI-Generated, Lionsgate Drops Marketing Consultant Responsible For Snafu
- Music
Sabrina Carpenter Teases and Torments on the Masterful — and Devilishly NSFW — 'Short n' Sweet': Album Review
- Film
Tim Burton on Why the 'Batman' Films Have Changed and How 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Saved Him From Retirement
- Film
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Are the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of the 2020s
Sign Up for Variety Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXKBjq2taKqVq7amw9JomZ6rpGLBqrnEZpyvnaJixKrAx2alnqGcYr2iwNGimqRlmJa%2Fs7XSZqmerpmaxG66wZxkpaGmmnq3rdGinK2xXai1sMOMamlpaWVugHN9k2g%3D