The hills are alive with the sound of a hit.
Despite some tepid reviews, NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!” drew 18.5 million viewers on Thursday from 8-11 p.m., beating every other program on television that night, according to Nielsen preliminary ratings.
The live production starring Carrie Underwood drew 3 million more viewers than the next most-viewed program on Thursday, “The Big Bang Theory.” In the key adults 18-49 demo that advertisers prefer, “Sound of Music” averaged a 4.6 rating, tying “Big Bang Theory,” which is the top-rated broadcast entertainment program in that key demo.
“Sound of Music” – which also starred Stephen Moyer, Laura Benanti, Audra McDonald and Christian Borle — was the first live musical staged on television since 1957 with “Cinderella.”