Neil Patrick Harris shows us ‘Best Time Ever’

By Lori Acken

Neil Patrick Harris returned to series television on Sept. 15 in NBC’s Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris, a live, high-energy, happy hodgepodge of music, pranks, gameshow elements and more, with Harris as the self-described P.T. Barnum at the center. “I want to create a show that I can gain the audience’s trust and have them put down their remote control, sit back and just watch,” Harris tells us. “Let me change the channels for you — from segment to segment to segment.” The show combines a live studio audience — some of whom will become part of the festivities along with, yes, you folks at home — with weekly A-list actors and musicians in various humorous capacities. “It’s essentially six or seven different shows all at the same time,” Harris says. “It’s a big grab bag of random awesomeness.”

1. The show is based on a long-running English variety show. Tell us about bringing this kind of format to American audiences.

I’ve been lucky in that I’ve gotten to, in the last few years, be in a position to showcase people and bring their unique talents to the masses, and I’ve always loved doing that. The P.T. Barnum in me loves that I’m able to show off different people and different skills, whether it be hosting the Tonys or the Oscars. And the Ed Sullivan lover in me was anxious to be able to bring a sense of that to a larger scale.

2. Are you excited — or daunted — by the live aspect?

It’s great. We joined forces with NBC with this particular idea because they do live events well, and I thought the combination of a show that is truly variety — not just variety acts, but segments that are a variety of different things — and showing the audience live meant that it was something people need to watch when it is happening. If you watch it live from home, you may actually be on TV and win a thousand bucks, just because you know the song that someone’s singing on the stage.

3. Can you give us an example?

We’ll have “Sing-Along Live,” where a famous musician will come out and sing a classic song. People will have called in and will be watching the show with their friend and we’ll use their Skype and have the producer hidden in their bathroom. I will go to them live and they’ll have to finish the lyric to the song, and if they do they win some money.

4. People love to see you perform, as well. Will that transpire?

We’ll always end with “The-End-Of- The-Show Show,” with my participating in a big production number of some sort. Music, dance … who knows? So that will be live and probably the scariest part.

5. Any truth to the rumors of a roving “Little NPH”?

Little NPH is fantastic — and I’m just glad it worked out because he’s 7 and he’s been bred for this. DNA is in place. A sense of humor is in place. Let’s just hope his ego stays intact.