Every live TV musical, ranked

The live TV musical appears to be here to stay. Once or twice a year, Fox and NBC (and perhaps other networks to come) bring together a cadre of talent and a beloved musical theater property to create a live television event that stands out in an era of streaming and binge-watching. The results have ranged from glittery explosions of performing prowess to underwhelming hate-watch fodder. Here we present every live television musical of the modern era, ranked: from truly terrible to s’wonderful. (We’ve excluded broadcasts that weren’t live, like Rocky Horror and Dirty Dancing.)

This one barely qualifies as a live musical, since it was essentially the story of the Passion of Jesus with some reworked pop songs thrown in. Singers portrayed biblical figures and performed contemporary songs in new contexts: For example, Chris Daughtry played Judas and did a rendition of Imagine Dragons’ “Demons.” Featuring stagey narration from Tyler Perry, the event came off as a tired, lackluster mess.

Allison Williams warned us that we could not hate-watch Peter Pan Live, and yet, that’s what many people did. Peter Pan was previously filmed as a live musical in 1955, starring Mary Martin as the Boy Who Never Grows Up, but the modern iteration just couldn’t capture the magic of the beloved fairy tale. The production felt miscast and woefully low-energy, while also coming off as too stagey in its presentation. Acrobatics and aerial tricks couldn’t save the day, nor could any amount of faith, trust, and pixie dust.

Featuring Carrie Underwood as beloved nun-turned-governess Maria, The Sound of Music Live kicked off the modern era of live television musicals — and it was so poorly received (and executed) that it seemed the concept might be dead on arrival. Many viewers responded negatively to Underwood’s performance in a role made legendary by Julie Andrews. However, this early stumble does rank slightly ahead of Peter Pan Live purely by virtue of Tony winner Audra McDonald’s goosebump-inducing rendition of “Climb Every Mountain.” Without that, we might’ve been asking how you solve a problem like the live television musical.

Although this production drew the ire of critics and viewers alike, much of the fuss seemed rooted in disappointment that it couldn’t live up to the original 1983 holiday film. It lacked the energy of a live studio audience but made spectacular use of the Warner Bros. backlots to bring a snowy 1940s Midwestern Christmas to life. Matthew Broderick imbued the narrator role with a newfound sense of emotion, while Jane Krakowski and Ana Gasteyer got to show off their song-and-dance skills. A Christmas Story Live wasn’t loved by audiences, but it brought some genuine holiday warmth to the live-musical landscape.

Being about television (among other things), Hairspray lent itself quite well to a small-screen live adaptation. Harvey Fierstein reprised his Tony-winning role as Edna Turnblad, while Kristin Chenoweth and Jennifer Hudson brought their stellar vocal chops and stage presence to the proceedings. Link Larkin (Garrett Clayton) felt a bit wooden, and though Ariana Grande has a stellar vocal range, her pop voice was ill-suited for the supporting role of Penny Pingleton. And with all due respect to the talented Darren Criss, we never need to see a host for a live musical again. Still, you couldn’t stop the beat when it came to the infectious enthusiasm of this live broadcast.

When NBC aired The Wiz Live in 2015 as the follow-up to Peter Pan and The Sound of Music, some viewers feared it might be yet another flashy failure. Fortunately, it marked a resounding victory for NBC. Although the production felt a bit too stuck in the proscenium arch of the theater, it delivered on vocal moments, including newcomer Shanice Williams’ powerful belts as Dorothy, Amber Riley’s showstopping turn as Addaperle, and Mary J. Blige’s evil delights as Evillene. The Wiz proved it was possible to deliver the magic of live theater on broadcast television in ways its predecessors did not. In other words, it eased on down the road and into our hearts.

NBC took what was once a rock opera concept album and turned it into one of the most vital and electric live musicals to date. The broadcast was the first to clock in under three hours, something other live TV musicals would be wise to take to heart. John Legend brought his signature smooth pipes and deep emotion to the role of Jesus Christ, while Sara Bareilles delivered a stellar performance as Mary Magdalene. But what really worked? They finally turned to Broadway instead of film and television stars for their talent. Three words: Brandon Victor Dixon. The musical theater vet stole the show with his heartbreaking, anguished portrayal of Judas. And to top everything off, the lighting and set design delivered an ending that was, honestly, a religious experience. The only thing preventing Jesus Christ Superstar from taking our top spot was a sound-mixing issue that meant vocals were often drowned out by the sound of the backing rock band.

When it aired in 2016, Grease: Live was quickly declared the gold standard of live musicals. The broadcast was the first to capitalize on the live element while truly making use of the television format — for instance, using “Those Magic Changes” to underscore Danny Zuko’s own changes. It was a high-energy affair that captured the vitality of live theater, while still being a viewing experience that would only be possible on TV in its use of locations, closeup angles, and more. Plus, the entire proceedings were just a sheer delight to watch — from the talents of Aaron Tveit as Danny Zuko to Vanessa Hudgens’ genuinely affecting portraying of Rizzo to the joys of seeing original movie cast members join in on the fun. Then, that outdoor carnival at the finale really sent us out on a bang. Grease and live musical greatness go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.