A T Dog Media TV review
This embarrassment even makes Johnny B. On The Loose watchable
Maybe there should be a class action suit against NBC and Neil Patrick Harris for their new Tuesday night “variety” show, Best Time Ever, because it is blatantly false advertising. This program features stuff we haven’t seen on Ellen or Jimmy Fallon’s shows before – only much worse. In fact, this is even worse than Jonathan Brandmeier’s short-lived disastrous syndicated late-night strip Johnny B. On The Loose from 1991.
The September 15 debut of the series featured Reese Witherspoon as guest announcer (why?) and his hefferish co-host, Nicole Scherziger – who I cannot stand – makes this tough to watch right off the bat. And he opened the show with a character named “Little NPH”. Okay…
First, Harris stalked this Alabama couple who was at their wedding, at their football game… without them even knowing it. Harris even trolled them in an Alabama football mascot costume. Rolled tide, indeed. Next, he drags out Gloria Gaynor for some karaoke where contestants were waiting to be embarrassed on national TV right in the comforts of their living rooms. And for some reason, Carrot Top shows up. What, Pauly Shore wasn’t available?
Then Harris goes out and competes in some zipline contest from NBC’s America Ninja Warrior. Whee.
We get another fun and games spectacle – this time Harris quizzes a random woman from the audience with ridiculously easy questions – and boom – she wins a car, trips, merchandise, etc. Easier to win it here than on The Price Is Right, I suppose.
Then we are treated to something straight out of TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes: Harris going undercover in a disguise as a host of the Austrian version of The Voice to prank the judges of the American version and its host, Carson Daly. Wow, another NBC crossover. Is a prank involved with the Today show next?
And to top it all off, it just gets bizarre at the end with The End Of The Show Show, whatever that is.
Yikes.
There is a reason variety shows are dead in this country. Remember Dolly Patron’s ill-fated effort from 28 years ago? NBC paid big bucks to buy the rights from a show in Grreat Britain (Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway) to give to Neil Patrick Harris to make his own. And despite how talented he is, this show is just plain unwatchable. Only eight episodes only have been ordered. And it’s STILL way too many.
Instead of Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, this abomination should be named Worst Time Ever with Jay Cutler. And we get that every Sunday for sixteen weeks.
Grade: F. See you in The T Dog Media TV Hall Of Shame.