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NBC brought its latest live musical production, 鈥淭he Wiz Live!,鈥� to TV on Dec. 3 with a cast that included newcomer Shanice Williams, Ne-Yo, and Mary J. Blige.

After scoring massive ratings for the network鈥檚 2013 live production of 鈥淭he Sound of Music,鈥� NBC has been trying to replicate that success since. Last year鈥檚 show, 鈥淧eter Pan,鈥� still scored respectable ratings but didn鈥檛 approach the levels of 鈥淢usic.鈥澛�

NBC is airing these shows as broadcast networks continue to try to find a way to lure viewers away from cable and streaming services, no doubt hoping that live TV events will appeal to TV watchers.聽

Many critics were won over by NBC鈥檚 new production. With NBC鈥檚 鈥淢usic,鈥� viewers showed up in droves but many reviewers criticized the performance of country singer Carrie Underwood as Maria and the caliber of the production in general.聽

For most critics, though, the performance of the leading lady and the show in general were the components they were least likely to find fault with for 鈥淲iz.鈥� Reviewers raved about Ms. Williams鈥� turn as Dorothy and about the singing talent and acting of many of the performers, including actress Amber Riley as Addapearle, the Good Witch of the North, and actress Stephanie Mills, who originally played Dorothy in the show on Broadway and took on the role of Auntie Em for this production.聽

There were aspects of the show that didn鈥檛 win over everybody 鈥� writer Wesley Morris called the show overall 鈥渢wo-dimensional,鈥� and聽 writer Brian Lowry wrote that 鈥渢he producers still haven鈥檛 fully overcome the somewhat ironic challenge of how to make these live presentations consistently exhibit sparks of life.鈥澛�

But many other parts of the show were praised, with Daniel Fienberg of the calling the show 鈥渁 colorful triumph 鈥� [Williams is] revelatory 鈥� this was the first time it was possible to just sit back and purely enjoy a new generation NBC musical,鈥� while Jeremy Gerard of found it to have 鈥減henomenal star casting and a young newcomer with killer vocal chops鈥�[the] smoothest outing yet in what should become a holiday tradition.鈥� writer Mark Kennedy called it 鈥渆xuberant, inventive 鈥� Starring a nice mix of pop music heavyweights, Hollywood stars and Broadway veterans, the show had a heart and playfulness that was missing from 鈥楾he Sound of Music Live!鈥� with Carrie Underwood and 鈥楶eter Pan Live!鈥欌�澛�

So now the question is, how did viewers respond to this show? Some of the ratings success of the 2013 鈥淢usic鈥� show seemed to come from curiosity on the part of viewers and what has been dubbed 鈥渉ate-watching鈥� 鈥� viewers determined that 鈥淢usic鈥� wasn鈥檛 good but still stayed, discussing the show on platforms like Twitter.聽

How will viewers respond to a show that appears to have been mounted impressively and that had well-received performances? 鈥淧an鈥� did about the same with critics as 鈥淢usic鈥� did 鈥� that is, not well 鈥� but far fewer viewers tuned in. Perhaps the curiosity aspect had worn off by that point, with TV watchers not seeing an NBC live musical as a novelty.

But 鈥淲iz鈥� has been popular so far on Twitter and despite the low ratings of 鈥淧an,鈥� the amount of people using social media to discuss the current NBC live production , with more tweets about 鈥淧an鈥� being posted than about 鈥淢usic.鈥� Those who work in TV always value their programs being a presence on social media, though they would most likely prefer good ratings, too.

Viewers may have tuned in for 鈥淲iz鈥� and then been impressed, hanging around to see favorite artists like Ne-Yo and Riley of 鈥淕lee鈥� performing tunes. Unless the ratings for 鈥淲iz鈥� are in the basement, the critical response to 鈥淲iz,鈥� at the very least, may mean these live shows continue to be a holiday tradition for NBC.