Clearly relishing his Oscar duties, Harris went on to spoof Michael Keaton's underwear scene in Birdman – which went on to win best picture – appearing on stage in white briefs, black socks and nothing else.
"Even stripped to his skivvies in a Birdman parody ... (Harris) couldn’t deliver quite all the thrills needed to get through the three-hour, 38-minute Oscar folderol without a yawn," said the Washington Post.
His bid to compare the box-office success of American Sniper to Oprah Winfrey's fortune fell flat, even if the talk-show diva took it in stride.
Jokes which came in for particular scorn included his "I could eat her with her spoon" line about Reese Witherspoon, and a quip about a having balls to wear a pom-pom covered dress, immediately after an Oscar winner had referred to her son's suicide.
A thankless job
The Oscars' hosting job is a notoriously thankless task. Previous low-points of recent years include the wince-inducing duo of James Franco and Anne Hathaway in 2011.
Harris also had a tough act to follow: last year's host Ellen DeGeneres powered the show to a 10-year ratings high. (READ: Ellen's Oscars 'Selfie' is most retweeted post of all time)
In theory Harris was as qualified as it's possible to be: he has won four Primetime Emmys for hosting Broadway's Tony awards.
But the Washington Post wrote: "It was bound to happen eventually. Neil Patrick Harris, the man who can host anything, finally stumbled."
On Twitter, Neil Patrick Harris acknowledged the support of his gag writers toiling behind the scenes.
I'm super appreciative for the group of writers we hired for my #Oscars content. If only they could write everything I say always. #proud — Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) February 21, 2015
Ratings fell
TV ratings for the Oscars' US broadcast fell 16 percent from last year, according to figures published Monday, February 23 amid lukewarm reviews and criticism for its first-time host Neil Patrick Harris.
Sunday night's show averaged 36.6 million viewers, down from 43.7 million in 2014, according to Nielsen ratings cited by industry journal Variety, which noted that the total viewer count was the lowest in six years.
Some blamed the relative lack of mass-appeal movies among those nominated, while for others the predictability of the awards races this year didn't help – almost all of the categories went without surprise. – with reports from Michael Thurston/AFP
Red Carpet:
Acting Category Winners:
More Oscars 2015 on Rappler: