NBC is making new plans for New Year’s Eve: Vulture hears the network has signed Miley Cyrus to host a live Lorne Michaels–produced end-of-year spectacular to ring in 2022. Nothing is ready to be announced yet, but sources say the Cyrus-led affair is being envisioned as a multi-hour, multi-city event with musical performances from numerous artists, including, most likely, Cyrus herself. And while there’s been talk of Cyrus originating her portion of the show from Miami — rather than the Time Square locale typical for New Year’s TV shows — a person familiar with the discussions says no final decision has been made as to where Cyrus will be throwing her December 31 party in the U.S.A.
Other details of the new project are also still being worked out, but Cyrus’s casting marks a new chapter in NBC’s New Year’s programming plans. Cyrus is effectively replacing The Voice host Carson Daly, who has fronted the network’s New Year’s festivities since 2004, first with New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly and then, following a year off in 2017, as co-host of the more generically-titled NBC’s New Year’s Eve, which has paired Daly with different partners each year. (Amber Ruffin teamed up with Daly this year.) As for Michaels, while he is attached as an executive producer of the project and will be involved in aspects of the production, he is not expected to handle night-of showrunning duties, à la Saturday Night Live. Michaels has become the kingpin of all things NBC late-night, serving as executive producer of the network’s nightly talkers The Tonight Show and Late Night.
NBC’s big bet on New Year’s appears to be an attempt to better take on ABC’s long-running Dec. 31 powerhouse, the awkwardly-titled Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest. That broadcast has defied Nielsen gravity, with its 10 p.m. hour this year beating the Oscars — and doubling NBC’s audience — to rank as the top-rated entertainment show in all of TV last season. Logic suggests NBC is hoping the combination of Cyrus and Michaels will help its new special attract bigger musical acts and celebrity guest stars, potentially making it more competitive with Seacrest’s special.
One other detail yet to be determined: Whether or not the Miley Show will stream simultaneously on NBC and its streaming sibling Peacock. Affiliate considerations have prevented such simulcasts in the past, but this season, the network has negotiated a deal with stations allowing for a bit more flexibility. The first four episodes of SNL, for instance, will stream live on Peacock’s premium tier starting this weekend.
