Ratings: ‘Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris’ has decent numbers; ‘Zoo’ finale drops

So was it possible, after all, that viewers in America could flock to what is basically a reality show? The ratings are in for the premiere of “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris,” and for the most part they are not terrible.

In preliminary numbers, Harris’ show drew a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, though we would not be surprised if the “America’s Got Talent” lead-in causes it to drop a tenth in the finals. Either way, this is a decent beginning to a show expected to be the next big thing for its host. “AGT” itself drew a 2.3, so it can attest to keeping most of the demo audience … even though it shed almost 4.5 million viewers (6.8 versus 11.3 from the talent competition).

So what happens next week? We feel like the show will be at least in part aided by having “The Voice” as a solid lead-in, and it could even rise despite getting only mixed reviews for the premiere. The problem for Neil is that this is a format that is not going to be great overnight; it needs time to work out the kinks, and we are not sure in this climate that either NBC or viewers will be patient enough for it.

Elsewhere on the night, the season 1 finale of “Zoo” scored only a 0.9 rating, which could in turn hinder its ability to get back on the air for a second season. CBS has been lenient with its summer shows in the past, but they may be starting to realize that these lucrative streaming deals are doing very little to boost their live ratings.

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