Sometimes you hear a little nugget of news that makes you throw your hands up in the air and shout “Of course! Derr! Why didn’t that happen YEARS ago!” And with that said, you’d better limber up your shoulders, because those hands of yours are about to be thrown in the air like you just don’t even.
Entertainer extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris has been pegged by US network giant NBC to fill a hole in the television schedule that’s been glaringly empty for years – he’ll be hosting his very own weekly variety show.
The former Barney Stinson will be taking the reigns of a US-adaptation of the UK mainstay Saturday Night Takeaway, which has been on the air in one form or another in the motherland since 2002.
UK production company ITV is bringing the format across the Atlantic to American shores with a view to debuting the 10 episode first season at some point in 2015 – pre-production won’t begin in earnest until Harris’ duties as host of the upcoming Oscars ceremony are completed.
The show will be an hour-long weekly production, filmed in New York, and will not retain the Saturday Night Takeaway name, nor its Saturday night timeslot, which is a death zone for US broadcasters.
Harris has long held ambitions of hosting a variety show under the right circumstances, and in this format he seems to have hooked on to a winner.
“As I watched the show, I couldn’t stop smiling. Now that I’ve seen many seasons, my face hurts. It’s a game changer. Nothing like this has been done before, and it’s unique structure fits right into my random skill set. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and have some fun!“
I think I speak for everyone when I say…
Photo: Frederick M. Brown via Getty Images.
via Vulture.
