Neil Patrick Harris is ready for 'Best Time'
Neil Patrick Harris has been awards-show host, sitcom actor, and Broadway star.
Now he's ready for his Best Time Ever. He's executive-producing and starring in a live, eight-week variety series, due Sept. 15 (10 p.m. ET/PT) that he describes as a TV hybrid: "We're part fear factor, we're part hidden-camera show, we're part game show, we’re part performance piece. I’m really excited. It’s going to be a way to start your night with a smile." (The show moves to 8 p.m. on Sept. 29).
The series is based on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, a British series that involves live and taped segments and surprises the studio audience. A cousin might be Univision's Sabado Gigante, ending after a 52-year run.
At its core, the show will involve Harris pranking celebrities and everyday people with contests, quizzes and hidden-camera stunts revealed as the show airs live from New York. Reese Witherspoon and Ricky Martin are among early guests booked. And some in the audience will be part of the show without realizing it ahead of time.
"We’ll have celebrities come on, we’ll talk about what we did, and then show them what we did, and bring in audience members who won’t even know they were followed," Harris said ahead of a presentation at the Television Critics Association Thursday.
"I’m going around America now doing these things as a ninja, and I’m only successful if no one knows that we did it. If anyone catches us, we fail. If we go home and no one knows we were there, job well done."
He's happy about the expensive series' short run: "When you hear 22-episode pickup, and you’re on episode 17, dude, you’re swingin', you don’t quite know what’s going on."
And speaking of ninjas, he's a fan of another unscripted NBC series, American Ninja Warrior, which has just been renewed for a fifth season.
"I love American Ninja Warrior," he gushes. "I want to be on American Ninja Warrior. I’m so not talented enough."