“A Christmas Story” is based on the classic 1983 film and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical, aptly titled “A Christmas Story: The Musical.” The play, which opened in 2012, was nominated for three Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The version airing on Fox this winter will feature several new songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who scored the “Christmas Story” musical. The duo recently won Tonys for their work on “Dear Evan Hansen” and were lyricists on the Oscar-winning song “City of Stars” from “La La Land.”
Additional casting will be announced in the coming months.
The beloved movie, which also airs every year on TBS for 24 hours, is a coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old named Ralphie who is on a quest for a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and “this thing which tells time.” The film — based on Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash,” also features multiple subplots about his Ralphie’s parents and other people in the neighborhood.
The musical event will be produced by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and Alternative Television. Marc Platt and Adam Siegel with executive produce with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary (“Grease: Live”) also serving as executive producers and writers.
10 TV Shows to Watch if You're Obsessed With the '80s (Photos)
“The Eighties” reigns supreme among all of CNN’s decade-centric specials (sorry, “Nineties”). Those who were alive in the 1980s will remember leg warmers, inline skates and so much more. Thanks to the magic of TV, even ‘90s and 2000s kids can experience these things. Whether you fondly look back on the decade, or you wish you had been born 10 or 20 years earlier, these 10 TV shows will surely fuel your ‘80s obsession.
NBC/Netflix/ABC & Eric McCandless
"GLOW" (2017)
The characters may be fictional, but "GLOW" is very much real. This Netflix comedy tells the (lightly fictionalized) story of the women who starred in the cult-hit all-female pro wrestling TV show GLOW (“Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling”) that aired for four seasons in the 80s.
Netflix
"Freaks and Geeks" (1999)
Before “Bloodline,” Linda Cardellini starred in “Freaks and Geeks” alongside James Franco, Jason Segal and Seth Rogen. Cardellini’s character, Lindsay Weir, tries to shed her goody-two-shoes image and hang with the rebellious “freaks,” often running into trouble.
Dreamworks
"Stranger Things" (2016)
Set in 1980s Indiana, science fiction/horror-thriller “Stranger Things” plays on many cultural elements of the decade, such as Stephen King novels and Spielberg films like "E.T."
"Everybody Hates Chris"
This autobiographical sitcom is based on comedian Chris Rock’s 1980s adolescence in Brooklyn. A young Chris (played by Tyler James Williams) must navigate a predominately white school, look after his siblings, and try to keep his tough parents happy.
Richard Cartwright/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images
"The Goldbergs" (2013)
Another show based on its creator’s childhood, “The Goldbergs,” is set in a small Pennsylvania town in the 1980s. The show leans hard on the decade's most awkward elements, like tracksuits and hideous matching outfits.
ABC/Eric McCandless
"The Americans" (2013)
This Cold War-set drama stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as Soviet spies posing as a normal American couple in the D.C.-area. It was created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg and inspired by some of his real-life experiences.
FX
"Snowfall" (2017)
This crime drama from John Singleton explores the origins of the Los Angeles 1980s crack epidemic. It premiered July 5 on FX.
Matthias Clamer/FX
"This Is Us" (2016)
“This Is Us” takes place only partially in the ‘80s, but it still counts. The non-linear time sequence touches on the past and present of the lives of three siblings (two biological and one adopted). The second season of the series will air on NBC on September 26.
"Robot Jones" (2002)
The Cartoon Network show follows a teenage robot named Jones who has to navigate human life in a futuristic 1980s middle school. The show’s blocky artwork is a nod to old school cel animation techniques.
Cartoon Network/YouTube
"Halt and Catch Fire" (2014)
This cult hit AMC series tracks the personal computer revolution of the ‘80s. The personal computers in question, however, are a lot clunkier than the dainty, portable ones we use today.
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These ’80s-centric shows were actually made post-1980s
“The Eighties” reigns supreme among all of CNN’s decade-centric specials (sorry, “Nineties”). Those who were alive in the 1980s will remember leg warmers, inline skates and so much more. Thanks to the magic of TV, even ‘90s and 2000s kids can experience these things. Whether you fondly look back on the decade, or you wish you had been born 10 or 20 years earlier, these 10 TV shows will surely fuel your ‘80s obsession.
NBC/Netflix/ABC & Eric McCandless
Netflix
