NPH to host variety on NBC!

[NCMarsh]

For too damn long variety artists on TV have been reduced to game show contestants or had to pretend to be normal people (The Tonight Show's "Does this amuse..." segment -- good that there's some variety there, but I wish they'd just book the acts to do the acts rather than making a world class juggler pretend to be a busboy at a restaurant and grovel for 45 seconds of approval)

I'm beyond ecstatic by the news that Neil Patrick Harris is bringing what he describes as an Ed Sullivan style variety show to NBC! 100% the right person and the right concept. I may have to buy a television.

Here are the details:

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/nei ... s-20141028

Given Neil's leadership in the AMA and his taste -- I'm sure we'll see great magic. But this is great news for live, variety entertainment more broadly.

Thank you, Neil.

[NCMarsh]

I may have jumped the gun -- the article quotes an NBC exec:

"a real blend between comedy, game and musical variety. And it has this fast pace and irreverence to it."

I heard variety and thought "variety acts" -- but that may not be the case...

Congrats to NPH regardless.

Cheers,

N

[Tom Moore]

It's a uk format and it's most definitely /not/ a variety show. The host takes part in stunts and gags, there's guests (usually actors from soaps or movie actors with a film to plug) who also take part in sketches and there's a musical guest. It's closer in concept to Saturday Night Live than a variety show - that's not to say NPH won't undoubtedly squeeze in stuff where he can but they certainly aren't going to go to the expense and hassle of licensing a format only to completely change it.

[Chris Aguilar]

It's a uk format and it's most definitely /not/ a variety show. The host takes part in stunts and gags, there's guests (usually actors from soaps or movie actors with a film to plug) who also take part in sketches and there's a musical guest.

Sounds like they're trying to hit the Jimmy Fallon demographic.

[Richard Kaufman]

American entertainment companies license brands, buy scripts, and then often completely change them.

[Tom Moore]

They have paid a VERY substantial licensing fee for the show and got the entire original production team in to make the US version, they're not deviating from the concept.

Furthermore the official press release from NBC say "....will feature the original’s mix of comedy sketches, celebrity guests, pranks, musical numbers, competitions, games and hidden cameras" so it's clearly not deviating from the original format. There's a teeny tiny bit of scope for squeezing the odd variety act in but essentially the show is a 10min gameshow (played by one contestant) padded out to 60mins with material that's essentially SNL & Candid Camera and ending with a musical performance.

[Richard Kaufman]

Tom, as a person who watches lots of British TV, and some American TV, I have seen what American producers do to shows they've licensed.

They'll make any change they want to in order to ensure that they think they're going to produce a successful product in terms of ratings because that's all they really care about: ratings, and income from advertising (which rises when ratings are higher).

I'm sure NBC's contract allows them full creative control in certain circumstances (such as when ratings don't reach a certain level), which means if the original team doesn't like what's happening, they just collect their money and go home. Or they get fired or replaced. Happens all the time. Creative people are the first to get thrown under the bus. It doesn't matter how much NBC paid. If the show isn't coming together the way they like in terms of what they think will get ratings and what Neil feels good about, then the format will be changed faster than you can blink.

Or, NBC will simply cancel the show and take the loss.

[NCMarsh]

For those of us on the less mature side of the pond, a friend sent me this which is apparently the English show on which this will be, however closely or loosely, based:




I can definitely see NPH being a fit...