With increased competition and a general downward trend in live viewing, television specials tend to feel, well, less special with each passing year. There are still quite a few annual must-see live-TV hours -- and no, we're not even talking about sports (for this one).
From the Oscars to the Emmys and everything toward the top, TheWrap ranked the 15 most-watched broadcast-television entertainment specials of 2017. And with those very low Nielsen ratings out of Fox's "A Christmas Story Live," we've got no musicals making the cut this time.
Scroll through the gallery for the 15 biggest.
Also Read: 20 Most-Watched TV Specials of 2016: From Oscars to ‘Hairspray Live’ (Photos)
Rank: 1
Special: Oscars
Date: February 26, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 32.937 million
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Rank: 2
Special: Grammys
Date: February 12, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 26.071 million
Also Read: 17 TV Winners and Losers of 2017, From ‘This is Us’ to the Silence Breakers (Photos)
Rank: 3
Special: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
Date: November 23, 2017
Day of Week: Thursday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 24.060 million
Also Read: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Ratings Deflate 7 Percent From 2016
Rank: 4
Special: Oscars Red Carpet (8 p.m.)
Date: February 26, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 20.892 million
Also Read: Oscars Original Score Category Gives John Williams a Shot at 51st Nomination
Rank: 5
Special: Golden Globes
Date: January 8, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 20.014 million
Also Read: Golden Globes 2018: The Complete List of Nominees
Rank: 6
Special: Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special
Date: December 3, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 15.366 million
Also Read: Here’s the Average Age of a ‘Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special’ Viewer
Rank: 7
Special: Oscars Red Carpet (7:30 p.m.)
Date: February 26, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 15.279 million
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Rank: 8
Special: Country Music Awards
Date: November 8, 2017
Day of Week: Wednesday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 14.278 million
Also Read: CMT’s 53 Straight Weeks of TV Ratings Growth Tops All Ad-Supported Cable
Rank: 9
Special: National Dog Show
Date: November 23, 2017
Day of Week: Thursday
Network: NBC
Total Viewers: 11.556 million
Rank: 10
Special: Oscars Red Carpet (7 p.m.)
Date: February 26, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 11.460 million
Also Read: SAG Awards: The Complete List of Nominees
Rank: 11
Special: Emmys
Date: September 17, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 11.394 million
Also Read: Emmys: TV Academy Adds Even More Categories, Tweaks Other Rules
Rank: 12
Special: Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards
Date: April 2, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 10.911 million
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Rank: 13
Special: "Stayin' Alive - A Grammys Salute to The Bee Gees"
Date: April 16, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 10.313 million
Also Read: Fox News Is Most-Watched Basic Cable Network in 2017
Rank: 14
Special: Grammys Red Carpet
Date: February 12, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: CBS
Total Viewers: 10.067 million
Also Read: ‘Stranger Things': 15.8 Million Watched Season 2 Premiere in First Weekend, Nielsen Says
Rank: 15
Special: American Music Awards
Date: November 19, 2017
Day of Week: Sunday
Network: ABC
Total Viewers: 9.160 million
Also Read: Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ Lands Most-Watched Week Since 2015 Premiere
Honorable Mentions: NBC's Matt Lauer-less "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" (pictured) and ABC's "Billboard Music Awards" also averaged more than 8 million total viewers this year. Beat THAT, 2018.
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