"Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris" debuted on NBC last month to rekindle our long-forgotten love for variety shows. A big task, for sure.
Since then, we've watched Britney Spears interview bodyguard candidates and viewers sing along to CeeLo Green's cleaned-up hit, "Forget You." We witnessed Neil Patrick Harris do a backflip off a pogo stick without breaking a single bone in his body. Tuesday night's guest announcer, Shaquille O'Neal, has had NPH practicing his hook shot for days. And although the show's critical reception has been pretty lukewarm, "BTE" has still counted well over five million viewers each night it's aired so far.
The Huffington Post sat down with NPH as he took a break from rehearsing his fourth episode of "Best Time Ever" to talk about the Internet, his pranking philosophy and why Barney Stinson probably won't be making an appearance anytime soon.
via Giphy
So, I've seen you chatting with fans on Twitter. What do you think of their reaction to the show so far?
Yeah, the reaction's been strong. I think this is a show designed just for people's entertainment and amusement -- we're not pushing much further than that. Not that we're trying to make it a simplistic show, but the design of each segment within the show is unique to itself. It's a little short attention span.
But perfect for the Internet age.
Yeah, we're GIF-friendly!
Did that affect the way you decided to structure the show, in six short acts? Makes it easy to talk about on social media.
Well, I do value that people watch TV in different ways now. And a lot of it is for binge-watching ... David [Burtka], my husband, just powered through "Empire" in two days. He doesn't need to go to Fox every week and watch one episode.
Two days! That's impressive. Yeah, I didn't even have cable for a long time.
Right? And so this show is kind of counter-programming to that idea. And so you do kind of want to watch it live. And, in a perfect world, invite your friends over, have a party when you're watching it -- oh, we should incorporate drinking games.
Uh, yes. Definitely.
And because then you may even be on the show! Who knows, if you're going to your friend's party to watch "Best Time Ever," your friend may have reached out to us and we may have a camera there and we may be filming you and you may be able to sing along live and win a thousand bucks.
You're trying to make TV more communal again.
Yeah, water cooler. But you really -- with a "Walking Dead" or something like that if you're not caught up, you have to quickly leave the water cooler.
Right, no one wants spoilers.
No, no.
You've done some good pranks so far. Is there any prank you've dreamed of doing?
No, I'm not a hardcore, George Clooney, must-win-the-pranking-competition [type]. I think they're fun. I think they have to be good-natured. I have a sincere aversion to public humiliation -- I don't think it's funny. I think people should be a part of the joke as opposed to being the butt of the joke. No one enjoys those. Masochists, probably.
Kind of like when you see those crazy Japanese game shows.
Those are fun! Because those people are knowingly running through that course, likely falling -- but they know what they're getting into. If we were just being forced to do that and we're laughing at them while they hold their neck in pain -- that would not be fun.
Can we expect to see any Barney Stinson on the show?
Well, I had a Cobie Smulders run-in. That's as tangental as we've gone. Barney Stinson is definitively of another network. Not quite sure how the peacock would feel about too many Barney-isms.
So the same goes for Robin Sparkles, I'd guess.
I'd guess the same, as well.
Although a live Robin Sparkles performance would be amaaazing.
So you could sing along live. "Let's Go To The Mall."
Yep. How about any magic tricks?
Yeah, I love magic! I feel like magic's best when it's peppered into something larger, because then it's unexpected. Once you declare you're doing a magic act, I think audiences tend to watch it in a different way. If you produce a dove, it's cool. If you produce seven, it starts to become "an act." Looking up sleeves. I think there could be more magical elements to come, but not proper smoke machines.
People might not realize the show is actually based off a British series, "Ant And Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway." Is there anything you had to change when you adapted it for Americans?
I just tried to really mark my Rs. Really tried to make sure you can hear the Rs.
That's important.
Yeah.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
"Best Time Ever" airs Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 10 p.m. on NBC, and at 8 p.m. Tuesdays thereafter.
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