'Best Time Ever' Courtesy of NBCUniversal
... Not that he can be sure. The incoming NBC star admits he didn't even know it even aired.
There's no proper pilot for Neil Patrick Harris' upcoming live show Best Time Ever, so the celebrated multihyphenate struggled when asked to describe what exactly the show would look like when it premieres Sept. 15 during his Thursday appearance with the Television Critics Association.
He can tell you that it won't be Knock Knock Live. When asked how Best Time Ever will stand apart from the Fox's similar and swiftly-axed Ryan Seacrest vehicle, Harris was very candid. "I didn't even watch Knock Knock... I didn't even know it was on," he admitted, sharing the sentiments of so many who didn't catch the low-rated reality show. "I don't say that as a backhanded anything. What they did was ambitious."
But what they did was admittedly experimental, and Harris expressed apprehension about unleashing anything that isn't, as he sees it, a proven formula. In his corner is the fact that his show is based on British series Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway and boasts its executive produce, Siobhan Greene.
"We have a new set and a new look — and I'm not two people, contrary to popular opinion, so I'll have a sidekick, not a partner," said Harris, emphasizing that the shows variety elements have all been tested. "I think an audience needs to be entertained as opposed to [being] a litmus test for entertainment."
Harris is clearly struggling with the secrecy around the show, though he did slip that both Ricky Martin and Reese Witherspoon have been booked to appear. "All of us will be seeing it together for the first time on Sept. 15," he said. "It feels to me more pressure in anticipation because it's a blind commit it some ways. We don't want to reveal every single thing. We're holding a lot of cards close to our vest because that's what's going to make it exciting."
His last full-time TV gig (CBS' How I Met Your Mother) now a year behind him, Harris was last seen hosting the Academy Awards. He's aware of his less-than-stellar reviews. And when pushed about the experience, he seemed to take them in stride.
"I was so honored to have been asked to be part of it, truly," he said. "It's a rare ask, and it's a lot of effort that goes into something that, at the end of the day, becomes inconsequential. I'd do it again if I was asked."
Television Critics Association
