Neil Patrick Harris dances offstage
Variety show 'Best Time Ever' is neither a hit nor a miss
November 3, 2015
It’s hard to fault a network for trying something different, especially at a time when every other new show seems to be a reboot of an old movie, TV show or comic book.
So give kudos to NBC for sticking with variety show “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris,” which goes on hiatus after its limited run tonight at 8 p.m.
The show did not become a hit, but it wasn’t a bomb, either. It did pretty well during its first month, when it got big lead-ins from “America’s Got Talent” and “The Voice,” averaging a 1.8 adults 18-49 Nielsen rating in the 10 p.m. Tuesday slot.
But when it moved to 8 p.m. midway through its run, ratings sank. It has averaged a 1.2 since then, in the much tougher timeslot against ABC’s “The Muppets” and “Fresh Off the Boat,” CW’s “The Flash” and CBS’s “NCIS.”
NBC may need some time to figure out what to do with the show. Since it’s done okay with decent lead-ins, it probably doesn’t warrant outright cancellation.
The network could decide to turn the show into a recurring special, which might be the best option for such a nonconventional program, which includes song, dance, skits and stunts. It would work well as holiday filler, likely drawing better numbers than repeats that would otherwise air in December or early January.
That would allow NBC to stay in business with Neil Patrick Harris, a popular actor and someone any network would love to have star on a scripted series, following his success on “How I Met Your Mother.”
A look at this week’s top TV draws |
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
8 p.m. |
NBC |
“Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris” (T) |
Season finale. The variety show wraps up its first season. |
8 p.m. |
CW |
“The Flash” (D) |
Barry tries to capture a new enemy, Dr. Light. |
9 p.m. |
Univision |
“Pasión y Poder” (D) |
Series premiere. New telenovela revolving around feuding families. |
9 p.m. |
TLC |
“Cake Boss” (R) |
Buddy makes a cake for his son’s Little League team. |
10 p.m. |
E! |
“Christina Milian Turned Up” (R) |
Season premiere. Christina releases a music video for hew new single. |
10 p.m. |
ABC |
“Wicked City” (D) |
Can the new drama rebound from its low-rated premiere? |
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
8 p.m. |
ABC |
“CMA Awards” (A) |
Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host the 49th annual awards ceremony. |
8 p.m. |
ESPN |
“NBA Basketball” (S) |
The Knicks take on LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland. |
9 p.m. |
Fox |
“Empire” (D) |
Lucious and Cookie attempt to put their differences aside for the good of the family. |
9 p.m. |
Lifetime |
“Little Women: LA” (R) |
Part two of the season-ending reunion episode, followed by a “Lost Footage” episode. |
10 p.m. |
FXX |
“The League” (C) |
Pete deals with his commitment issues, and Taco tries to enjoy his new bank job. |
11 p.m. |
TLC |
“Late Night Joy” (T) |
Series premiere. New talk show hosted by Joy Behar from her apartment in New York. |
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
8 p.m. |
CBS |
“The Big Bang Theory” (C) |
The comedy moves back to its Thursday night timeslot. |
8:25 p.m. |
NFL Network |
“Thursday Night Football” (S) |
The first non-CBS Thursday game of the season features Cleveland and Cincinnati. |
9 p.m. |
Lifetime |
“Project Runway” (R) |
Season finale. The designers make final adjustments to their collections before the winner is selected. |
10 p.m. |
WE tv |
“Selling It: In the ATL” (R) |
Series premiere. New real estate reality show set in Atlanta. |
10 p.m. |
CMT |
“I Love Kellie Pickler” (R) |
Series premiere. Reality series following the country singer and her husband. |
10 p.m. |
CBS |
“Elementary” (D) |
Season premiere. Holmes faces criminal charges following his relapse. |
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
3 a.m. |
Netflix |
“Master of None” (C) |
Series premiere. New comedy starring former “Parks and Recreation” actor Aziz Ansari. |
8 p.m. |
Fox |
“MasterChef Junior” (R) |
Season premiere. Season starts with 24 contestants making a burger and a side dish. |
9 p.m. |
ABC |
“Shark Tank” (R) |
The sharks hear a pitch from Jimmy Kimmel and his sidekick Guillermo. |
9 p.m. |
Animal Planet |
“Restoration Wild” (R) |
Series premiere. Aging structures are remodeled for new uses. |
9 p.m. |
Fox |
“World’s Funniest” (C) |
Season premiere. Ross Matthews, Natasha Leggero and Josh Wolf serve on the panel. |
10 p.m. |
CNBC |
“American Greed” (N) |
Season finale. The story of a New York stockbroker who got $140 million out of investors. |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
12 p.m. |
ABC |
“College Football” (S) |
A very solid Pittsburgh team hosts traditional power Notre Dame. |
12:30 p.m. |
NBC |
“Premier League Soccer” (S) |
Struggling Chelsea tries to get its season back on track at Stoke City. |
3:30 p.m. |
Fox |
“College Football” (S) |
A key Big 12 matchup between TCU and Oklahoma State. |
8 p.m. |
Hallmark Channel |
“Ice Sculpture Christmas” (M) |
Romance blooms within a team at a holiday ice-sculpting contest. |
8 p.m. |
CBS |
“College Football” (S) |
Alabama hosts LSU in a huge SEC game. |
9 p.m. |
Reelz |
“Jackie Kennedy: Behind Closed Doors” (N) |
New documentary profile of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. |
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 |
|||
Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
2 p.m. |
NBC |
“NASCAR Racing” (S) |
The Sprint Cup AAA Texas 500 in Fort Worth. |
7:30 p.m. |
Fox Sports 1 |
“Major League Soccer” (S) |
The first game of a conference semifinals doubleheader, teams to be determined. |
8 p.m. |
Starz |
“Flesh and Bone” (D) |
Series premiere. New drama set in the world of ballet in New York City. |
8:20 p.m. |
NBC |
“Sunday Night Football” (S) |
An NFC East game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. |
9 p.m. |
TNT |
“Agent X” (D) |
Series premiere. Sharon Stone stars as the Vice President in this new drama about a top secret agent. |
10 p.m. |
HBO |
“Getting On” (C) |
Season premiere. New season picks up eight months after the corporate hospice scandal. |
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show. |
Tags: best time ever, best time ever with neil patrick harris, nbc, new shows, tuesday tv this week, tv this week
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