Heck, even ‘Peter Pan Live’ did better
FoxsRocky Horror Picture Showremake somewhat disappointed in the ratings Thursday night, scoring lower viewership and demo ratings than any of the major prime-time musicals aired by the broadcast networks in recent years.
The two-hour special starring Laverne Cox garnered largely positive reviews (EW called it never not fun) but delivered 4.9 million viewers and a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49.
Those numbers are far from terrible FoxsScream Queenswould happily kill for a 1.7 nowadays but demo rating is down a steep 63 percent from the networks previous musical event,Grease Live.
Credit: John Medland/Fox
To be fair, not many expected a cult-favorite title likeRocky Horrorto match the broad appeal ofGrease, and doingRocky Horroras a taped movie rather than live might have made it seem less like an event.
But when producing a major special, one expects bigger numbers given how previous titles have performed even NBCs much-derided 2014 specialPeter Pan Livedid a 2.3 rating, while last Decembers NBCsThe Wiz Live,had a big 4.4 rating.
And of course, nothing has topped NBCsThe Sound of Music Live, which kicked off the modern TV musical trend in 2013 by surprising the industry with 18.6 million viewers and a 4.6 rating.
