{"id":885810,"date":"2026-10-17T19:06:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/885810\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T19:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:06:18","slug":"how-nbc-brought-live-musicals-back-to-television","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/885810\/","title":{"rendered":"How NBC Brought Live Musicals Back to Television"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIn 2011, NBC<\/a> was in a rough shape. The network had struggled in the waning years under General Electric\u2019s ownership. In January 2011, Comcast became the majority shareholder, and with it came a new leadership regime for NBC Entertainment, led by industry veteran Bob Greenblatt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of Greenblatt\u2019s big ideas to liven up NBC\u2019s schedule was to lean in to the network\u2019s roots as the home of great entertainment specials and spectacles. NBC carried what was a landmark moment for Broadway on TV in March 1955 with its live telecast of Mary Martin performing her signature role in the beloved Comden and Green tuner. It was a smash in the Trendex ratings of the day.<\/p>\n

\n\tGreenblatt\u2019s experience as a Broadway producer gave him the confidence to take on \u201cThe Sound of Music Live\u201d with the help of veteran producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Carrie Underwood was cast as Maria, Stephen Moyer was tapped as Capt. Von Trapp. The \u201cSound of Music\u201d team spent money and time setting up an elaborate made-for-live-TV production that would be beamed live from a Grumman Studios soundstage on Long Island.<\/p>\n

\n\tNobody \u2014 not even Greenblatt, Zadan or Meron \u2014 quite knew what NBC had until the opening moments of the production on Dec. 5, 2013. Within minutes, fans ranging from Tina Fey to Cameron Diaz to everyday people who love tuners were chiming in on Twitter with posts noting the joy of singing along with the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein standard.<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED STORY: From Bob Hope to Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade to \u2018Wicked: One Wonderful Night\u2019: How NBC Became America\u2019s Home for TV Specials<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tGreenblatt credits the late producer Zadan and his longtime partner Meron for picking \u201cSound of Music\u201d as the one to roll the dice on.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey thought it could bring in a huge audience since it\u2019s beloved by adults and children and is constantly being produced all over the world,\u201d Greenblatt says. \u201cWe had no idea how to even produce a live musical or how we could market it since it there hadn\u2019t been anything like it in decades. But everyone at the network got excited about it and came together to turn it into a powerhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSound of Music Live\u201d delivered an astounding 18 million-plus viewers<\/a> \u2014 well past the hope internally that it would reach at least 10 million. It became a milestone in NBC\u2019s revival, and it revved up the strategy to emphasize crowd-pleasing live events to reinforce the network\u2019s prominence as a platform that reaches every corner of the U.S.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe success of \u201cSound of Music\u201d allowed NBC to produce four more live tuners during Greenblatt\u2019s time at the helm of the network. (There was one that got away \u2014 a planned production of \u201cBye Bye Birdie\u201d toplined by Jennifer Lopez<\/a> never came to fruition in 2017.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeter Pan Live,\u201d starring Allison Williams and Christopher Walken. Airdate: Dec. 2, 2014<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Wiz Live,\u201d starring Queen Latifah, David Alan Grier and ingenue Shanice Williams. Airdate: Dec. 3, 2015<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHairspray Live,\u201d starring Marissa Jaret Winokur and Derek Hough. Airdate: Dec. 7, 2016<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,\u201d starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles. Airdate: April 1, 2018<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s a look at Variety\u2019s coverage, starting with a ratings report for the original 1955 \u201cPeter Pan\u201d presentation with Mary Martin. This clip \u2014 which notes that NBC\u2019s \u201ctwo-hour colorcast\u201d walloped the competition, sending CBS\u2019 \u201cI Love Lucy\u201d to an all-time low rating \u2014 ran on March 9, 1955, two days after NBC\u2019s triumph.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom the March 9, 1955, edition of Daily Variety<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Sound of Music Live!\u201d caught the TV industry by surprise, as noted in this report from Dec. 13, 2013. The program earned six Emmy nominations (and one win) as the it pushed the envelope on live music production, as covered in this story from Aug. 12, 2014.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom the Dec. 13, 2013, edition of Variety<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe Sound of Music Live\u201d on NBC in 2013<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC\/NBCU Photo Bank<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Sound of Music Live\u201d nabbed six Emmy nominations and one win. The artistry of the presentation was examined in this story that ran Aug. 12, 2014.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom the Aug. 14, 2014, edition of Variety<\/p>\n

\n\tThe following year, there was much more buildup to the production of \u201cPeter Pan Live,\u201d including a Variety set visit preview story that ran Nov. 25, 2014.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom the Nov. 25, 2014, edition of Variety<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cPeter Pan Live\u201d in 2014<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC\/NBCU Photo Bank<\/p>\n

\n\tVariety also was there the following year for the final dress rehearsal of \u201cThe Wiz,\u201d as covered in this report published on the morning of the live telecast<\/a> in 2015.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe Wiz Live\u201d in 2015<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC\/NBCU Photo Bank<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHairspray Live\u201d may have been set in Baltimore but it was produced out of the Universal lot in North Hollywood. Once again, Variety was there for this curtain-raiser story published on Dec. 7, 2016.<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cHairspray Live\u201d in 2016<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC\/NBCU Photo Bank<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cJesus Christ Superstar Live\u201d marked a moment of triumph for the aptly-named John Legend, who gave his all in the lead role to entertain and inspire America on Easter Sunday 2018. The technical feats of the production were chronicled in this Variety Artisans preview report from March 25, 2018.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFrom the March 25, 2018, edition of Variety<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u201cJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert\u201d in 2018<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBC\/NBCU Photo Bank<\/p>\n

\n\tThe chance to bring a bit of Broadway-style razzle-dazzle to the airwaves was extremely gratifying to Greenblatt, who produced the Broadway tuner \u201c9 to 5: The Musical\u201d with Dolly Parton in 2009 and has been involved with many other shows. The buzz NBC generated with its adventurous live productions inspired other networks embrace the form \u2014 the sincerest form of flattery in TV. Fox staged live renditions of \u201cGrease\u201d in 2016 and \u201cRent\u201d in 2019.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was gratified that our big risk paid off, and I think the live musicals have become part of NBC\u2019s [modern] legacy alongside Must-See TV, Dick Wolf dramas and the Olympics,\u201d Greenblatt says. \u201cThe other networks jumped on board too, which was the best sign of success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGreenblatt\u2019s time at NBC ended in the fall of 2018. The five live musical productions that the network delivered on his watch are among his proudest accomplishments. And he\u2019s not done yet.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt this very moment, I\u2019m talking to NBC and ABC about producing a brand new live musical,\u201d Greenblatt says. \u201cLong may they live!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2011, NBC was in a rough shape. The network had struggled in the waning years under General…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":885811,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[171472,88,1254,301674,92],"class_list":["post-885810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-bob-greenblatt","tag-entertainment","tag-nbc","tag-nbc-100","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}