18.6 Million Watched 'Sound of Music' on NBC; Expect More Musicals

Photo by Will Hart/NBC

UPDATE (12.10.13): NBC is actually going to re-air The Sound of Music in its entirety on Dec. 14, from 8-11 p.m. ET. The network's entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt confirmed on Monday that NBC is also committed to airing another live musical production for the 2014 holiday season—so our hypothetical 2014 schedule doesn't seem so far-fetched after all.

After a heavy marketing campaign, it seems NBC's The Sound of Music live rendition was a ratings hit, giving the network its best numbers in years.

With 18.6 million viewers, the Carrie Underwood-starring broadcast earned NBC its highest Thursday viewers in nine years. In the key 18-49 demo, it came up just shy of the 4.8 rating for CBS's Big Bang Theory with a 4.6. The last time it did that well, outside of sports telecasts, was in 2009 for the ER series finale.

Of course, the Peacock and its competitors were surely watching the numbers roll in, as a Sound of Music success would likely signal more live musicals and special programming in the future across the networks. Because in the world of television, if it works for one network, all the networks must copy. And in the case of NBC, they really needed a ratings surge.

In light on this "good news," we've speculated about NBC's 2014 schedule. See below. (Note: This isn't real.)

SUNDAY
+ Sunday Night Football - Because it's the top-rated show in America

MONDAY
+ The Voice (Repeat of Last Week's Episode) - Because what if you missed last week's episode and don't have DVR?
+ The Voice - Because it's still popular
+ The Voice: Kids Only - Because it's just a matter of time before that 30 Rock parody becomes a reality

TUESDAY
+ The Blacklist - Because NBC has a hit drama now
+ The Voice (One-Hour Results Show) - Because Carson Daly's a serious host, not like Ryan Seacrest
+ The Voice: Kids Only Tribal Council - Because they're actually on an island and you know eventually producer Mark Burnett will somehow turn this into Survivor 2.0

WEDNESDAY
+ The Blake Shelton & Adam Levine Reality Show - Because their bromance is the heart of The Voice, so they're getting an apartment
+ Jay Leno & Friends Variety Sow - Because he will be back

THURSDAY
+ The Sound of Music: The Reality Show - Because who wouldn't want to audition to star in NBC's next live telecast of The Sound of Music?

FRIDAY
+ Friday Musical Live (FML), starting with Annie: The Musical - Because if JAY Z can do it, why can't NBC—every Thursday for 22 weeks?

SATURDAY
+ Sunday Night Football Pre-Show - Because if you watch NBC for football on Sundays, you should tune in the day before for two hours of speculation about the big game
+ Saturday Night Live (SNL) - Because NBC owes Lorne Michaels a lot of money