Neil Patrick Harris’ variety show Best Time Ever has been cancelled by NBC, after failing to pick up steam (and viewers).
It may have been the Best Time Ever, but unfortunately, the ratings were just okay.
Neil Patrick Harris’ first major TV gig since How I Met Your Mother was meant to revolutionize the variety TV scene: Adapted from the popular U.K. series Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Harris served as game-master during an hour of skits, stunts, and celebrity cameos.
But the kooky mix of late-night antics and America’s Got Talent-style performances failed to connect with U.S. audiences: The final installment of its eight-episode run scored a mere 1.4 Nielsen rating. For comparison, Best Night Ever‘s initial lead-in The Voice averages a 14.0.
The Wrap has now learned that NBC has officially canceled the fledgling series, which is not exactly surprising, but disappointing nonetheless.
It seems Neil Patrick Harris is struggling to strike a balance with viewers; Harris’ career got a major resurgence due to How I Met Your Mother, where the former Doogie Howser, MD. star rebranded himself as the shameless yet lovable Barney Stinson.
Related: Watch: Neil Patrick Harris nails Seth Meyers’ acting challenge
But so far, his efforts to distance himself from Barney, and carry his passions for stage acting and magic to TV, have been less than successful. Not only was Best Time Ever a flop, but Harris also failed to impress at the 2015 Oscars earlier this year.
Still, it’s not all bad for Neil Patrick Harris. His turn in Hedwig and the Angry Inch was met with rave reviews, and he also made a memorable guest appearance on American Horror Story earlier this year.
Hopefully, Harris will have more luck with his next project.