NBC already working on another live musical for next year

Published April 06, 2016

Julie Andrews, left, is pictured in "The Sound of Music." Carrie Underwood, right, will play Andrews' character Maria in a remake of the film. (AP/ Reuters)

The hills are alive ... with the sound of another live musical coming to a TV screen near you!

NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt told The New York Times that there are plans to do another live musical special next year before the holidays. The news is not too surprising given "The Sound of Music Live" grabbed 18.5 million viewers and a 4.6 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demo on Thursday.

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Greenblatt said that "Sound of Music" producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan will return to take charge of the live production and that three of them already have several titles of Broadway family-friendly classics with familiar tunes. "All weekend, people have been calling us and emailing us," Greenblatt told the newspaper. "Rights holders of musicals have said, 'Please do one of our shows.' We're excited to try it again."

Greenblatt is already optimistic about making this kind of production an annual event on NBC. "There's enough to do a handful of these over the next years, if we keep increasing the learning curve," he said. "There may be a little bit of a phenomenon to the first one of these. Who knows what happens Year 2, 3 or 4. But you've got to have events. I think we could do this again — and again and again."

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Although star Carrie Underwood received harsh reviews from both TV critics and viewers, producers have no regrets about their casting choice. "She really delivered her audience, her fan base," Meron said. Added Greenblatt: "I'm not sure almost 20 million people would have come out for a lot of other names."

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