Fox’s “A Christmas Story Live!” didn’t quite bring the holiday cheer on Sunday night.
The musical, a live remake of the 1983 movie about young Ralphie Parker’s struggles leading up to Christmas Day, was widely panned by both viewers and critics. Actor Andy Walken, who plays Ralphie, is a dead ringer for Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the movie. But the casting was not enough for the audience, who was quick to criticize the holiday musical on Twitter.
One viewer tweeted: “They managed to ruin ‘A Christmas Story.'”
Another wrote: “I’m gonna have to watch the entire 24hr marathon of A Christmas Story to forget this dumpster fire called #AChristmasStoryLive.”
Even a star-studded cast, which included Maya Rudoplh, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Krakowski and Matthew Broderick, didn’t appear to help much. The live musical brought in 4.5 million viewers on Sunday, according to Fox. Last year’s “Grease Live!” which also aired on Fox, reportedly attracted 12.2 million in total viewers and last December’s “Hairspray Live!” on NBC had 9.1 million viewers tune in.
The harsh criticism just kept coming on social media throughout duration of the live event.
“No. Just no. I’m as big a #ChristmasStory fan there is and I was really looking forward to this ‘Live’ version on Fox, but this is an abomination. A Christmas Story is about the farthest thing from a musical there is,” wrote another viewer.
Another called it “the worst thing that has ever been on TV.”
“This live ‘A Christmas Story’ is the worst thing that has ever been on TV, and I’m including ‘After M.A.S.H.'”
TV critics also panned the performance. The New York Times’ Noel Murray called it a “letdown,” while USA Today’s Kelly Lawler took aim at one of the film’s most iconic lines in the headline, “‘A Christmas Story Live!’ shoots its own eye out.'”
Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich gave the show a B minus, saying in the headline the musical “misses the light fun of the holiday classic.”
