Mel Brooks’ classic comedy-turned-Broadway show Young Frankenstein is about to become a live television musical, ABC announced Wednesday.
Casting and an air date for Young Frankenstein Live will be announced later this year, with Hollywood Reporter adding that it will premiere in the fall. Young Frankenstein is ABC’s second foray into live musicals, following 2019’s The Little Mermaid.
Young Frankenstein Live will likely take its cues from the Broadway adaptation of the 1974 monster movie spoof; the Broadway musical was nominated for three Tony Awards during its 13-month run. A slightly altered revival of the musical staged on London’s West End in 2017.
Live musicals have become an annual event on three of the major broadcasting networks, with NBC (Peter Pan, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Wiz, The Sound of Music and Hairspray) and Fox (Grease, Rent, A Christmas Story) also airing in recent years.
In addition to Young Frankenstein Live, ABC also announced plans to broadcast a live episode of The Connors, scheduled for the night of the New Hampshire Democratic primary on February 11th; the episode will incorporate the results of that primary into the storyline, with ABC News’ actual live news coverage featured within the episode.
