On December 2, NBC continued its tradition of adapting some of Broadway’s most memorable musicals to live television programming via a reimagined version of the TONY Award-winning production ‘Annie.’
With singing sensation Celina Smith assuming the role of the titular character and award-winning entertainers Taraji P. Henson, Tituss Burgess, Nicole Scherzinger, and Harry Connick Jr. delivering updated takes on the rest of the play’s beloved characters, the all-star cast charged to screens last Thursday to enter a ratings showdown against the likes of Thursday Night Football, wildly popular ABC sitcom ‘Young Sheldon,’ and more.
Hop inside to see exactly how it fared:
Viewership: 5.34 Million
The Lear Debessonet and Alex Rudzinski-directed edition of ‘Annie’ may have reeled in 5.34 million viewers (making it the lowest-viewed NBC live musical special to date), but it still ranked as a ratings winner for defeating all of the night’s non-football related programming.
While more eyes tuned in to CBS programs ‘Young Sheldon’ (6.6 million) and ‘Ghosts’ (5.5 million) at the start of the hour, ‘Annie’ managed to keep them engaged for a longer runtime – helping it score the overall ratings touchdown for December 2.
Look below to see how it stacked up against viewership figures of NBC’s other live musical revamps.
Ratings of NBC Live!
Sound of Music Live (NBC, Dec. 2013): 18.6 mil
The Wiz Live (NBC, Dec. 2015): 11.5 mil
Little Mermaid Live (ABC, Nov. 2019): 9 mil
Peter Pan Live (NBC, Dec. 2014): 9.2 mil
Hairspray Live (NBC, Jan. 2017): 9.1 mil
Jesus Christ Superstar Live (NBC, April 2018): 9.6 mil
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical (NBC, Dec. 2020): 2.5 mil