( CNN ) -- With Thursday 's debut of `` The Sound of Music Live ! , '' NBC just might resurrect the live musical broadcast . In the 1950s , such productions were big television events , with viewers tuning in to see the likes of Julie Andrews performing in an enactment of `` Cinderella , '' which CBS aired in 1957 . Yet more than half a century has passed without any major broadcast network daring to mount a full-scale musical on live TV -- until NBC decided to embrace the challenge . The result is a three-hour primetime production called `` The Sound of Music Live ! , '' a TV revival of the beloved story that originally graced the stage . Country megastar Carrie Underwood and Stephen Moyer of `` True Blood '' have been cast in the iconic roles of Maria and Captain Von Trapp , and more than 600 kids came out to open casting calls for the Von Trapp children . The seven that were chosen committed to intense rehearsals that lasted for weeks prior to the massive television event , which airs December 5 at 8/7 Central . `` We 've all worked so hard , we all just want to do the best we can and contribute to this legacy that is 'The Sound of Music , ' `` Underwood said in NBC 's behind-the-scenes special , `` The Making of The Sound of Music Live ! '' NBC says the production will `` retell the story for a whole new generation , '' and CNN 's senior media correspondent Brian Stelter agrees that it may resonate with younger viewers . `` Even in this age of Netflix where everything 's available on demand , I would love to know how many people out there have n't ( seen the movie ) , '' Stelter said . `` I have a feeling those younger people in NBC 's audience that have n't seen it yet will discover it for the first time . '' `` The Sound of Music '' originally reached Broadway audiences in 1959 , followed by the popular 1965 film starring Julie Andrews . Andrews recently said on `` Larry King Now '' that she stands behind Underwood , although she can relate to the mounting pressure . `` A live broadcast ! My God , poor lady ! '' Andrews said . Live television is always a gamble because , simply put , anything can happen . `` The idea of doing it live is what 's daring about it , '' said New York Times media reporter Bill Carter . `` They could have taped another version of this , but doing it live gives it a little frisson of excitement . What happens if the thing kind of goes wrong , you know ? Now it 's like seeing a Broadway show , staged , but they 're only doing it once . '' Stelter said NBC is banking on this element of surprise to bring in the ratings . `` One of the reasons why viewers will tune in is to see if the microphones work , to see if everybody 's ready , to see if all the sets are functioning , '' he said . `` That kind of curiosity might help NBC . '' Yet `` The Sound of Music Live ! '' is up against competitive Thursday night programming , and NBC 's challenge is to get people to tune in as the production unfolds rather than setting DVRs or using Hulu to watch the special later . Nonetheless , Stelter believes it 's probably an experiment worth trying for the Peacock network . `` If it gets a lot of audience , they can go and do this again , '' Stelter said . `` Of course in television , when something does n't seem to succeed , everybody else gets afraid of doing it . So the worst scenario here is that it bombs and nobody else tries this again . Because I have a feeling if you try this a few times , one of them would breakthrough . '' The Twittersphere and ratings numbers will reveal the success of `` The Sound of Music Live ! '' In the meantime , the cast is relying on the massive scale of production and their six weeks of grinding rehearsals to prepare for Thursday 's big show . `` We all know that coming up is this massive live performance that we can all be terrified about then , '' Moyer said in NBC 's `` The Making of Sound of Music Live ! '' `` Our first preview is our press night and our final night ! There is going to be a moment where , you know , once you 've said the lines they 're gone forever . ''
NBC faces a challenge with a live primetime production of ` ` The Sound of Music '' A major television network has n't aired a full - scale musical in years . NBC 's strategy is to get viewers to watch live rather than via DVR or Hulu . The live element of surprise works in the network 's favor .