The live TV musical was a relic of broadcast’s past until NBC resuscitated it. Now, having announced plans for a live version of A Few Good Men, the network wants to do the same for drama. NBC is betting that Aaron Sorkin’s straight play can, like the recent string of musicals the network adapted for TV, draw large swaths of viewers away from the DVR and to the live feed. But that’s far from a sure bet.
NBC, which has had great success with live musicals in recent years, is turning to live drama in 2017 with a presentation of A Few Good Men. Aaron Sorkin, the creator and mastermind behind NBC’s The West Wing, will return to the network for the project, which is an adaptation of his legit production. A specific air date has yet to be announced, but NBC is targeting the project for early 2017.
Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, says he wants to produce a “live movie” based on Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men. “It’s no longer enough just to put on a good show that people want to watch,” he told the audience at the LiveTV:LA conference. “They have to be compelled to watch it. The best way to get people to feel compelled to come that night is to make it an event.”
