Neil Patrick Harris hosting Emmys: It's official (officially)!

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Updated on July 29, 2020 01:13PM EDT

Neil Patrick Harris has officially been tapped to host the Sept. 20 Emmy Awards on CBS. “After having had such a hoot hosting the Tonys, I was thrilled to getthe call about the Primetime Emmys,” Harris said in a press release issued Monday. “I’m looking forwardto the challenge of the show — adding my own voice to it, whilehonoring the nominees and the entire year in television. But whichvoice to choose? I’m torn between gangsta, foppish Brit, and robot. Really proud of my robot. We’ll see what happens on the night.”

As EW’s Michael Ausiello said when he first reported Harris’ deal on July 2, the move makes perfect sense for CBS, which needs to juice the ceremony’s ratings and make us forget all about last year’s opening “comedy” number from the reality host quintet. (You almost had? Sorry!) Bottom line: Harris is an entertainer, which is what a host needs to be. You want to tune in to see if he does a musical number that rivals the one he did at the Tonys. (Note: 83 percent of EW readers said they “loved him” as Tonys host in a morning-after poll, 12 percent “liked him”, 4 percent thought “he was okay”, and only 1 percent “hated him.”)

And you want to see how he will shamelessly promote How I Met Your Mother‘s season premiere (which is the night after the Emmys on CBS). What you DON’T want to see: The producers think that just because Harris has a theater background, they can try that “Emmys-in-the-round” crap they pulled with Ryan Seacrest in 2007.

Your turn. What Dos and Don’ts would you like to pass on to Neil Patrick Harris? Remember: The Tonys audience is notoriously the most responsive — they hate to see anyone die on stage. We have full confidence in Harris charming the Emmys crowd, but a little advice never hurt anyone…

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