TV's Live Musicals, Ranked: Annie, Rent, Grease, Hairspray And More

NBC's production of Annie Live! aired Thursday night — but how did it stack up against TV's other live musicals?

Twelve-year-old Celina Smith, of Atlanta, stepped into the spotlight as the titular orphan, while Harry Connick Jr. (Will & Grace) played Daddy Warbucks and Taraji P. Henson (Empire) filled Miss Hannigan's sensible shoes. Singer Nicole Scherzinger, Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Megan Hilty (Smash) were also on hand to lend their pipes to the occasion. While star power certainly helps whet musical fans' appetites for these televised affairs, as we've seen in the past, anything can (and does!) happen once the cameras start rolling.

Luckily, TVLine readers gave the performance an average grade of "B+," and we agree: Annie Live! was one of the better offerings among TV's recent live musicals. Of the 11 productions that have aired since 2013, when The Sound of Music Live! kicked off the trend on NBC, several have dazzled us (here's to you, The Wiz Live!), while others are best left forgotten (sorry, Peter Pan Live!).

In the list below, we've ranked those 11 live productions, including A Christmas Story Live! (which you had probably forgotten about!), the superb Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and more. (We did, however, exclude Fox's 2016 adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and NBC's Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical from 2020, as both were pre-taped in full.)

Which musical tops our list, and how did Annie measure up? Scroll through our ranking below to find out, then drop a comment with your thoughts.

Led by a charming Auli'i Cravalho and featuring the mighty Queen Latifah as sea witch Ursula, this thinly veiled Disney informercial was ambitious with its format, marrying the 1989 animated film with live stage work that labored to emulate an underwater world. Sadly, though, it was ultimately saddled with ongoing sound issues and some underwhelming supporting performances.

For its second live musical (following The Sound of Music), NBC unveiled a low-energy Peter Pan production, led by an exceedingly stiff Allison Williams. Despite the optimistic message at the heart of this musical, the Peacock Net's adaptation was clunky from the first scene, squashing all charm from a potentially joyous show.

This one started at a disadvantage — raise your hand if you'd even heard of this musical before it aired — and never managed to redeem itself, despite valiant efforts by Ana Gasteyer, Jane Krakowski and Maya Rudolph.

The musical talent was as bountiful as edelweiss in springtime, the acting chops... well, there's probably a reason Carrie Underwood hasn't done anything scripted since, eh? To be honest, we went a little easier on Fraulein Maria & Co. in this ranking because NBC's version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein show was the first live musical in recent memory, so points for pioneering! (Also, Laura Benanti's Baroness Elsa side-eye is a thing of beauty.)

In 2016, Fox celebrated Easter by way of The Passion, a sprawling, quasi-live concert event that put a contemporary spin on the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Though some of the song choices felt a bit contrived (Chris Daughtry's Judas singing "Bring Me to Life," for example), The Passion was well-executed and quite moving, anchored by powerful performances from Jencarlos Canela, Trisha Yearwood and Seal.

Unfortunately, only the last 15 minutes of Rent were actually live after cast member Brennin Hunt suffered a last-minute foot injury, prompting Fox to air the show's pre-recorded dress rehearsal instead. But despite the snafu — and some admittedly wonky sound mixing — the adaptation we saw featured tremendous performances (we don't deserve you, Brandon Victor Dixon!), innovative staging and a moving finale that appealed to the theater geek in all of us.

Remember that time Ariana Grande was in one of these? A delightful romp from start to finish, this candy coated production boasted some incredible talents, from veterans like Harvey Fierstein and Kristin Chenoweth to fresher talent like Dove Cameron and Maddie Ballio. Whatever was left of the house was then brought down by Jennifer Hudson.

Our expectations were low for NBC's take on a property that is known, sure, but hasn't been in the conversation for some time. But save for some wayward camera work and a distracting bald cap, this production was quite entertaining, buoyed by an excellent 12-year-old Celina Smith, a scenery-hungry Taraji P. Henson and rousing footwork by both Nicole Scherzinger and Annie's little orphan family.

Justice for The Wiz! When reflecting upon TV's recent string of live musicals, this criminally underrated gem is too often overlooked. Not only was it a glorious display of diverse talent, but NBC also discovered an absolute star in Shanice Williams.

A vocal powerhouse of a cast (John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Brandon Victor Dixon) coupled with a show that lends itself to a concert presentation (you wanted a live audience's energy, and you got it!) made NBC's staging of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice classic an electric event.

With its first-ever live musical production, Fox proved that it was born to hand jive, baby. We're still amazed that the network pulled off such an intricate, tightly paced production, complete with an actual carnival (!) to close the show. Add in a top-notch cast, including standout performances from Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo and Jordan Fisher as Doody, and Grease remains the one that we want... to rewatch over and over again.