Once again, ABC is looking to breathe life into another primetime musical event, though this time the network has selected a story that's of a less traditional nature. According to TVLine, Young Frankenstein will be ABC's next live musical event, though the cast and an official airdate still remain unknown. In fact, most details about the big event remain somewhat scarce, aside from the fact that it'll be produced by Mel Brooks, who directed the original black and white film back in 1974, which starred Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle.
The live production will be based on the 2007 Broadway stage version of the same name and, much like the original film, serve as a comedic reimagining of the Mary Shelley novel. ABC's musical event will also feature a lot of the same music that was included in the stage adaptation, which was composed by Brooks himself.
It remains unclear if any members of the Broadway cast will end up reprising their roles for the live musical, though the possibility doesn't seem totally out of the question. Cast members of the Broadway version included Roger Bart as Frederick Frankenstein, Megan Mullally as Elizabeth, Sutton Foster as Inga, Andrea Martin as Frau Blucher, Christopher Fitzgerald as Igor, and Fred Applegate as Inspector Kemp/Hermit.
This, of course, is just the latest production in network television's ongoing trend of delivering live musical events. Back in November 2019, ABC aired The Little Mermaid Live!, which did so well in the ratings department that it became the most-watched made-for-TV musical on any network in nearly four years, as per Entertainment Weekly.
Meanwhile, FOX debuted Grease Live! back in January 2016, which was followed by The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again later that same year, A Christmas Story Live! in 2017, and Rent Live! in 2019. And then there was NBC, which churned out The Sound of Music Live! in 2013, Peter Pan Live! in 2014, The Wiz Live! in 2015, Hairspray Live! in 2016, and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert in 2018.
So whether you're a fan of live musicals or not, this trend doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. And much like many others before it, Young Frankenstein is (a)livvvvvve spectacle, which means anything can happen. Sign us up.
