I’m so psyched about this show that I nearly had an anxiety attack in the run up to the first airing.  There was so much hype for the show, I was worried that the show wasn’t going to live up to it’s feverish press.  Plus, we haven’t had a good variety show on Network Television since… Carol Burnett!  (Wikipedia is linked for Millennials who have no idea who Carol Burnett is.  MeTV airs reruns.  Check your listings and school yourself.)

So, what do we think of BEST TIME EVER?

First impressions, from watching all the promos:  This show looks like it’ll be like “Ellen” with a dash of “WipeOut” and a pinch of “Graham Norton” with Neil Patrick Harris.  Don’t ask where I got that from.

I’m watching the show and can’t help but pat myself on the back for calling my shot a little bit.  It IS a lot like Graham Norton’s show on the BBC (and BBC America) and not because both hosts just so happen to be gay, but because they both have a little flashy retro feel to the set.

I’m not sure what I think about the guest show announcer thing…  Reese Witherspoon is bubbly, wonderful and a great sport… but I think he needs a proper announcer for the show.

The first bit, with Neil going undercover right under the noses of a couple from the audience, was hilarious.  The surprises just keep on coming.

Not quite sure how I feel about the back and forth with Reese though… it didn’t seem as genuine as the previous bit with the couple.  I just don’t buy that Reese is that ditzy.

After the break, Neil brought out Nicole Scherzinger…  I could do without her. She just annoys me.  I do wanna know how they get the seemingly genuine reactions from the folks who will be singing Karaoke live in their family room.  That’s pretty cool… their audio needs a little work though… two of the singers had over-modulated audio, but that’s the broadcast engineer in me coming out, and it is the first live broadcast.

Gloria Gaynor still got it!

I feel like Nicole Sherzinger’s part could easily be replaced by Reese Witherspoon (or whomever the celebrity announcer is) and would be 10 times better.  Nicole’s fake sultry voice annoys me to no end.

RANDOM CARROT TOP SIGHTING!  I have no idea why Carrot Top is there, holding a fake fish prop, but he looks great.

One of the things that drives me nuts about NBC is the pointless Cross-promotion crowbarring that goes on in NBC programs.  I could easily dismiss this bit with American Ninja Warrior announcer Matt Iseman as a case of NBC Synergy gone bad, but actually he provides much needed relief from what would probably be a solo Nicole Sherzinger yelling bad commentary at the top of her lungs.  Matt should’ve shut up a little and let Neil and Reese trash talk each other and their reaction at the end.

How the hell are they paying for all of this?  It’s LIVE for goodness sake!

I think I would like this show better if it was just Neil, the guest announcer, and the audience.

It’s obvious that they have some technical issues to work out in the next episode.  The sound guy was still pinning Neil’s microphone on him after the stunt scene… they could’ve just given him a handheld mic to carry to the couch.

Next our hero, goes undercover at another NBC Show- The Voice.  Again, this could’ve been another bad Cross-promotional gag, but honestly, anything with Blake Shelton is gold.  Neil Patrick Harris PRANKING Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Pharrell , Gwen Stefani, and Carson Daly is Emmy worthy, if he does stuff like that every week.

More audio problems…

The audience member is a fantastic pick, she’s outgoing and funny.

Mixology!  What the HELL are Ant and Dec doing at the Bar?  OHHH this show must be based on their show in the UK… not Graham Norton.  (Update: They are Executive Producers… that’s why it’s so good)

Random Pogo Stick dudes… um ok.  Pretty cool.

WHAT THE HELL is going on now?  It’s just ridiculous chaos!  A Marching Band? Awesome!

Overall, I’m giving the show a solid 4 out of 5.  Get rid of Nicole Shirt-swinger, and the bad camera cues and technical issues and you’ve got a 5/5.