To give you a little backstory on my relationship with The Sound of Music (1965), it has been my favorite film since I was nine years old. My dad brought the VHS home as a gift for me after a business trip in Europe and the rest is history. I instantly fell in love and wished I had six siblings to harmonize and be mischievous with. I’m pretty sure the VHS is close to falling apart because of the countless times I replayed the classic “Do-Re-Mi” sequence. 
Fast forward to tonight, 12 years later, when I hate-watched as NBC hosted The Sound of Music: Live! starring Carrie Underwood as the quirky Fraulein Maria and Stephen Moyer as Captain Von Trapp.
The casting director/producers of this show really missed the mark because they focused more on singing talent and completely forgot that the actors also need to know how to…act. I could probably write a book on why Carrie Underwood should never be handed a script again. Even worse, who wants to see Vampire Bill in a musical, anyways? 
Something else that really threw me off: the order and placement of the songs. “Favorite Things” in the Abbey with Mother Abbess, “Do-Re-Mi” in the house foyer, and “Lonely Goatherd” in Maria’s bedroom. If you’ve seen the movie, you realize how bizarre all of that sounds.  
Yes, I know they may have based this more on the stage version than the film, but because the latter has become such a classic, the comparisons were inevitable. So, the verdict on this new version is that it just didn’t live up to the hype. But, really, how could it? 
Just so you don’t think I’m being a total Grinch in this review, here’s something positive: I actually do think Carrie Underwood is a tremendously talented singer, as are Audra McDonald (Mother Abbess) and much of the cast. However, there was an unspoken rule that after the 1965 film, The Sound of Music should remain untouched by Hollywood. NBC broke this very important rule, leaving us with this sub-par live version that no one asked for to begin with. 
If you haven’t seen this new version yet, save your time. I’ll gladly lend you my VHS tape so you can see the real, and as far as I’m concerned, the only worthwhile version of The Sound of Music.