Harry Connick Jr. has spent most of his life in show biz, which didn't entirely prevent some opening-day jitters on his new daytime talk show Harry.
The daily program kicked off Monday at 4 p.m. ET, with Sandra Bullock, a set so bright it almost required sunglasses and an audience that was about 97% women.
The audience demos and Bullock were no problem. The set might want a little attention at some point, since at times it seemed to swallow Harry. Between the almost day-glo backdrop and the gleaming white of the furniture and the piano, the set sometimes felt like it should be co-headlining.
Connick over the years has earned those adoring female fans. Besides enormous musical talent, he has a natural charm, an easy-going smile and a disarming aw-shucks style, thanks no doubt to his native New Orleans.
On Day One of Harry, however, he often looked and sounded a little stiff and awkward. That's hardly unprecedented in the talk-show game, but it was noticeable with Connick because he was different so recently as a judge on American Idol.
On Idol he seemed at ease and conversational. Here, where those are exactly the characteristics you want, he seemed too aware he was on camera.
Even in the interview with Bullock, who was a perfect first guest because she's an old friend and colleague, he jumped in a little too fast with his questions and comments - a classic sign of nerves.
The interview wasn't a disaster. She's funny, with great comic timing, and he made it work.
He will presumably get more comfortable as time passes. Even better would be if his subsequent interviews do what he and every other talk-show host promises, that those interviews will touch on subjects we don't hear everywhere else.
The Bullock interview included way too much "you're great" / "no, you're great" rather than, say, giving us a few more tales from the time they filmed Hope Floats together. Just telling us the experience was "magic" doesn't match a few examples of why.
After the Bullock chat, Connick rolled out the first installment of a regular feature that will be called "I Got This," in which he drops in on some random business, tells the proprietor she is amazing and says he'll run the place for a day.
The idea of recognizing non-famous people always has possibilities, and Connick's takeover of an Atlanta nail salon certainly won't hurt him with all those women in the audience.
The proprietor, Poochie, was a pleasant guest. The problem was that the segment itself turned into a rather small joke. Civilian is astonished when famous person walks in. Famous person knows nothing about the business. If that ends up being the whole joke, the segment may have trouble sustaining.
The show ended with Connick singing "Smile," not the standard, but a cut from his latest album. Unsurprisingly, he looked quite comfy on a piano bench behind a microphone.
Almost any new show needs some time to find its rhythm, and that looks to be the case with Harry. He's certainly got the likability to make it work. With a little less set, a little less self-consciousness and a little more of playful Harry in the interviews, he could make a run in a rough and crowded field.