After more than five years of attempts to mount a variety show without the crucial element of Neil Patrick Harris, NBC has at last realized the folly of hoping that Rosie O’Donnell and Maya Rudolph might turn out to be Neil Patrick Harris and just hired the man himself. Vulture reports that Harris has signed on to help the network salvage its hopes to revive the format by hosting a U.S. version of Saturday Night Takeaway, the long-running U.K. series featuring celebrity guests participating in comedy sketches and crazy games, all to determine the next King of England. Harris’ version won’t have that same name or air on Saturdays, nor will it have any sway over a constitutional monarchy. But it will find Harris utilizing his oft-demonstrated skill sets of singing, dancing, magic, and hopefully, performing complicated medical procedures while dealing with normal teenager problems. That’s the variety of life, and of variety shows.
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