Americans love Howie Mandel. They may even be obsessed with him, so it is perfectly reasonable for NBC to reward the “Deal or No Deal” star his own hidden camera show called “Howie Do It,” which premiered Jan. 9.

To say Mandel is flying without a net is an understatement. Historically, programs that make the everyday person the star have been hit or miss. “Candid Camera” and the Bob Saget-hosted “America’s Funniest Home Videos” turned a generation of normal citizens into celebrities, so long as they had their own camcorder. On the contrary, “America’s Funniest People” with Dave Coulier,Saget’s one-time costar, fizzled.

It’s not that he can’t “do it.” If anything, the better question to be asking is, “Can’t he do it?” The only thing possibly hindering the show from being a hit is Mandel himself. A unique force in the underground comedy ring, the former “Bobby’s World” actor first registered on Nielsen radars doing voice work in the mid-80s.

But it was his 1986 appearance on “Friday Night Videos” with Ted Danson that rocketed him to new heights. Who knew inflating a surgical glove with your nose could be such a turning point in your life? That stunt showed the world that the clean-shaven, game-show dynamo was a life source of creativity, and that his proverbial well of funny was worth tapping into.

As such, the Peacock has rolled the dice on Mandel once more, keeping their fingers crossed that there is more to “Howie Do It” than the combination of extraneous disguises and the alias “Larry.” This show is his dream, after all, as he has said in various interviews, but too often do dreams become nightmares, which is why only a scant six episodes were ordered. Sink or swim, there is little time to prove to the country how much he wants it, so let’s hope this is good.

Howie’s latest foray into NBC folly won’t generate Emmy buzz or make soul patches any less cool than they already are ­-- or aren’t --, but it is worth at least a once-through. With the line between what constitutes a “good” and “bad” prank show so vaguely drawn, one thing remains certain: There is no substitute for the personal touch of the beloved. If Mandel can infuse enough personality into the otherwise dried-up and dying genre, the show will take off. But if he can’t, Americans will still love him anyway, his dream finally realized, if for only a brief run.

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