Well, it’s official: Americans just don’t want to watch a variety show. NBC on Tuesday pulled the plug on Best Week Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, this fall’s live recreation of UK mainstay Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. The weekly variety hour, which featured Harris and celebrity guests doing live stunts and taped segments, was actually quite good but failed to connect with an audience. The eight-episode series averaged about 5 million viewers a week, which isn’t abysmal but certainly can’t be considered a smash.
NBC says they thought about overhauling the format and giving it another try, but eventually decided on trying to find a new project for Harris. They put a spin on the decision, saying the reason behind the cancellation was because of how expensive the production was and how grueling it was to come up with a live hour of television every week.
“It was an incredibly complicated and sophisticated form of television to put on a live show on a weekly basis. We’re proud of Neil for giving it his all and we have steely resolve to work together on something new,” Paul Telegdy, the network’s chief for late-night shows and specials, told Variety.
But what it really comes down to is ratings. If more than 10 million people watched breathlessly each Tuesday, they would have found a way to make it work. But they didn’t. This is just further confirmation that, no matter how hard the networks try, the variety show is dead. Daring programming executives have tried to revive it with the likes of Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, Maya Rudolph and others, but no one seems to be biting. With this big-budget attempt racked up in the failure column, can we please stop trying for good, or at least until 2020?
While we’re talking about struggling formats, we should note that NBC’s toying with live entertainment has been a bit of a mixed bag. Many in the TV world are trying to make live shows happen because it’s one of the few things people will watch when it originally airs instead of on their DVRs when it’s convenient. That means they watch the ads and the networks get paid. While NBC’s Sound of Music Live! paid off in a big way and launched a yearly franchise of musical spectaculars, its attempts at live series haven’t panned out so hot. In 2013 the much-hyped Million Second Quiz, a live game show hosted by Ryan Seacrest, pulled in about 5 million viewers an episode, about the same as Harris’s show. Maybe that’s the ceiling on live TV?
Part of NBC’s cancellation was reaffirming that the network will be working with Harris’s Prediction Productions to find something for Harris to do, which makes all the sense in the world. There are few stars with as sterling a reputation and as much likability as Harris, but finding the right gig for him could be a little tricky. Sure, he could star in any old sitcom, but his unique blend of acting, dancing, singing, magic, and general do-goodery seems like it will be showcased much better in a tailor-made format. Let’s just pray to God it’s not another variety show.
