According to Vulture, Neil Patrick Harris has been tapped to host a U.S. version of Saturday Night Takeaway, the long-running U.K. variety show. The show (which will not be called Saturday Night Takeaway or air on Saturdays) is also expected to originate from New York, given the actor’s roots here. Harris says;
“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!”
Just a few months ago, NPH told Howard Stern that he’d been talking to CBS about such a gig;
“I think if it’s weekly, and people really want to see it, and you trust that there’s a lot of really great shit on there, then you’re gonna get the guests to want to come on there. A weekly thing, you’d have more time to prep for stuff, you could pretape stuff that would be really exciting, you could flesh it out more.”
NBC alternative TV head Paul Telegdy told Vulture that he’s been looking to get a variety series on the network for a long time, and that Harris was always at the top of his list.
“We have a natural affinity for this type of show. It’s in our DNA. There’s a natural progression with this. This is something we felt was undeniably an NBC proposition. We’re not going to rush this. We’ll take our time and make a great show.”
Can’t you just see it? “With Special Guest Star, RuPaul!” (Photo, Instagram; via Vulture)
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