Will 'The Wiz Live' Ratings Be More 'Sound of Music' or 'Peter Pan'?

NBC hopes that Thursday’s “The Wiz Live” ratings are as alive as the Nielsen numbers for 2013 its “Sound of Music” offering but it would probably settle for something close to last year’s “Peter Pan Live.”

On Dec. 5, 2013, “The Sound of Music” scored a big 4.6/13 live-plus-same day rating in the key 18-49 demographic, along with a massive 18.6 million total viewers. Those figures rose to a 5.6 and 21.8 million viewers when including seven days of delayed-viewing.

A year later, “Peter Pan Live!” received a decent 2.4/7 and 9.2 million total. Seven days later, those numbers rose to a 2.9 and 11.4 million viewers.

Also Read: 'The Wiz Live': Toto's Trainer Reveals How Canine Actors Steal the Show

That means “Peter Pan” was down 47.8 percent in the main demo versus “SOML,” and an even more whopping 50.5 percent among total viewers. With the respective delayed viewing lifts, the latter musical was down 48.2 percent in the demo, and 47.7 percent in total viewers. Therefore, the extra year of technology adoption didn’t help in the demo, but it did lend a slight hand overall.

While NBC wouldn’t share a ratings projection for “The Wiz” — and live one-offs are admittedly highly difficult to predict — the relative popularity of the three musicals will likely place the Shanice Williams-starrer much closer to “Peter Pan” than “SOML.”

Still, it’s a pretty sure bet that NBC would sign up for 9 million viewers today. After all, excluding live sports, the broadcast network averages just a 1.2 rating and 5 million viewers out of Thursday primetime thus far this fall.

Also Read: 'Peter Pan Live!' Actually Beat 'The Sound of Music' in At Least One Nielsen Rating Category

Though it didn’t even compete with its predecessor via Nielsen ratings, “Peter Pan Live” fared better than “Sound of Music” on social media. The Allison Williams-starring special actually earned more tweets than the earlier effort with Carrie Underwood, 523,800 to 505,500.

However, more Twitter users played along for the first one, for what that’s worth. “The Sound of Music Live” was tweeted by 226,000 total authors, while 171,400 participated for the Neverland option.

“The Wiz Live!” heads to Oz on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

From Wags to Riches: 11 of TV's Most Famous Dogs (Photos)

In honor of #InternationalDogDay, we look back at some of the small screen's most recognizable canine stars.
Pal, the original Lassie, made $4,000 a week in 1954 or $51,000 in today's world. Lassie has since been played by 10 generations of Pal's descendants.
(Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Flame Jr., also known as Rin Tin Tin IV, starred in the TV hit ABC show "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" from 1954-59. The famed dog was responsible for increasing the popularity of German shepherds as family pets and was nominated for the American Humane Association's PATSY Award for animal performers.
"Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" Season 1 Episode 12
Moose, the Jack Russell terrier who played Eddie on "Frasier" (1993-2004), earned a cool $10,000 per episode. In total, Eddie earned $3.2 million in his 11-year run. He also received more fan mail than any of his costars! Fun fact: Eddie's biological son, Enzo, took over the role after his dad retired.
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Gidget, the 12-pound chihuahua known for the ubiquitous catchphrase, "Yo quiero Taco Bell!" was propelled to stardom after landing the lucrative fast-food campaign in the late '90s. She also starred as Bruiser's mom in 2003's "Legally Blonde 2" alongside Reese Witherspoon.
1999 Taco Bell Commercial/Video Archeology
Even though Sadie isn't exactly a TV star, Oprah Winfrey's cocker spaniel was mentioned so many times on her show, she became almost as famous as her gazillionaire owner. In 2009, Dogtime.com reported that Oprah set aside $30 million for her five dogs, including Sadie.
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Cookie Frankel, "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel's dog, has more than 25,000 followers on Twitter. The Lhasa apso gets regular massages and is constantly fed antioxidant-rich carrots. "Everyday is a spa day for her," Bethenny has said.
Instagram
"Million Dollar Listing" star Fredrik Eklund insists his miniature dachshund, Fritzy, needs a big living room to play in. But Eklund is realistic, insisting he would never spend more than $2 million on his dog's digs. Moderation is key, people.
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Giggy, "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump's Pomeranian, is perhaps one of TV's most pampered pups, with his own personal chef and Twitter account. He has become such a fan favorite that he now makes his own red carpet appearances, rich owner in tow.
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Stewart, a Pembroke Welsh corgi, played who played Captain Raymond Holt’s dog Cheddar for much of the run of the sitcom "Brooklyn Nine Nine" -- often featured in the show's elaborate shenanigans. Stewart died in 2019 at age 13.
NBC
Brigitte, a French bulldog "actress," best known for her role as Stella on ABC's hit comedy "Modern Family," won Best Dog in a Television Series at the inaugural Golden Collar Awards in 2012.
The American Human Association
On the last seven seasons of “Modern Family,” Beatrice replaced Brigitte as the beloved bulldog Stella owned by Ed O'Neill's Jay Pritchard. Beatrice died in March 2020 -- just weeks after production wrapped on the long-running sitcom's series finale.
ABC