Fox’s updated version of cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show struggled a bit against CBS’ Thursday Night Football, but the TV musical stood out compared to what’s been airing on the network on Thursday nights.
Rocky Horror, starring Orange is the New Black’s Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, averaged nearly 5 million total viewers and a 1.7 among primetime’s key demographic of adults 18-49. Compared to Fox’s current fall line-up — baseball drama Pitch at 8 p.m. and Rosewood, starring Morris Chestnut, at 9 p.m. — that was nearly a 90 percent improvement on the ratings. That score also gave Fox second place for the night.
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Over on CBS, Thursday Night Football — with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Chicago Bears in another lopsided game — averaged 10.5 million viewers and a 3.0 among adults 18-49 to win the night.
Compared to its own Grease Live!, however, Rocky Horror’s performance was a bit limp. In its January 31 airing, the musical starring Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens attracted a total audience of 12.2 million viewers and a 4.3 among adults 18-49
NBC’s live musicals also have fared better. Last year’s airing of The Wiz averaged 11.5 million viewers and a 3.4 rating among adults 18-49, and, like Rocky Horror, was up against Thursday Night Football. The year before that, Peter Pan averaged 9.21 million viewers and a 2.4 among adults 18-49. NBC’s first effort to bring musical theater to TV —The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood — is still the best performing, bringing in 18.32 million viewers and scoring a 4.6 among adults 18-49.
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[Image courtesy of Fox via Variety]
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