Are you ready for a television event like no other? We have good news to share with all the musical fans out there. News just broke that Universal Pictures’ Wicked will be making its broadcast debut on NBC this November. This move comes as a surprise, given that the film is still in its exclusive streaming period with Prime Video.
According to Deadline, Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal had to strike a special deal with Amazon to allow this one-time broadcast. The smash-hit musical fantasy film will air on NBC on Nov. 19, 2025, which is a little less than a year after its theatrical release on Nov. 22, 2024. You might be wondering why this deal was even made. Well, Universal and NBC are using the broadcast as a promotional lead-in for the highly anticipated sequel, Wicked: For Good, which will be released in theaters just two days later.
Additionally, NBC will be airing a special music event, Wicked: One Wonderful Night, on Nov. 6, featuring show-stopping performances from the original cast, led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. This special is also designed to build excitement for the sequel's release in theaters on Nov. 21.
Jon M. Chu directed Wicked from a screenplay co-written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. In addition, it's based on the best-selling Broadway musical of the same name. The film follows Elphaba, a young woman misunderstood because of her green skin, and her unlikely friendship with the ambitious Glinda, as their lives take very different paths that ultimately shape who they will become in the magical land of Oz.
Erivo takes on the role of Elphaba, while Grande plays Glinda. Also in the Wicked cast are Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. When Wicked hit theaters back in November 2024, tons of people flocked to see the magical musical come to life on the big screen. It was a box-office hit, ultimately making $756.4 million worldwide against a budget of $150 million.
Lucky for fans, a sequel was already filmed back-to-back with the first film. Wicked: For Good picks up where the story left off in part 1. Elphaba, now living as the Wicked Witch of the West, continues her fight for justice while on the run, and Glinda, now celebrated as Glinda the Good, must navigate the pressures of her public life. When a surprising new arrival from Kansas disrupts their worlds, the two witches must come together one final time to confront their past and shape the future of Oz.