The Best and Funniest Twitter Reactions to ‘The Wiz Live!’

Damian Holbrook December 4, 2015, 12:34 pm

The Wiz Live! - Season 1 — Virginia Sherwood/NBC

THE WIZ LIVE! -- Pictured: (l-r) David Alan Grier as Lion, Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Ne-Yo as Tin-Man, Elijah Kelley as Scarecrow -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC) Thursday, December 3 on NBC (8-11 p.m. ET)

Well, we all came with our claws sharpened and our pitchforks at the ready. And could you blame us? After the musical dumpster fires that were The Sound of Music Live and Peter Pan Live, the social-media judging committee was on high alert for The Wiz Live!, NBC’s latest attempt to bring some sort of cultah to the masses. But instead of sucking like a twister, the damn thing dropped a house on the haters and delivered a delightful television experience many of us needed after a week of grim real-life events.

That’s not to say we didn’t see some snark online. It was just way more good-natured and goofy than usual, which actually made it more fun to ease on down the road with Dorothy (Shanice Williams) and company.

There were callbacks to NBC’s bleaker musical past…

https://twitter.com/lanewilliamson/status/672582848596058112

There were feelings about the interpretive twister…

Suddenly, I have the urge to be a Cirque du Soleil storm chaser.. #TheWizLive

— Jackée Harry (@JackeeHarry) December 4, 2015

https://twitter.com/JillBidenVeep/status/672583516073418752

There were Gleeks in the crowd…

https://twitter.com/TVMcGee/status/672585400490266625

AMBER RILEY JUST SANG HER FACE OFF. RACHEL BERRY, WHAT'S GOOD? #TheWiz pic.twitter.com/VVNMQSFHo0

— MTV Celebrity (@mtvceleb) December 4, 2015

And stoners…

https://twitter.com/RJCity1/status/672584647797157889

And, of course, power gays…

If I don't see a contestant on #RuPaulsDragRace wearing Amber's Addaperle costume next season, I'll be pissed. #TheWiz #TheWizLive

— Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) December 4, 2015

Do NOT bring Mary J no bad news!!!!!!

— Andy Cohen (@Andy) December 4, 2015

Some had their feathers ruffled by the Scarecrow (Elijah Kelley) and his foes…

Them birds just Nae-Nae'd #TheWizLive

— Jillian (@jillianbowe) December 4, 2015

When Dorothy questions the talking Scarecrow but not the talking crows #TheWiz

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) December 4, 2015

https://twitter.com/TheFienPrint/status/672590771141263360

Some were inspired…

Overheard while watching #TheWizLive: "I'm going to be a slutty poppy for Halloween next year."

— Shawna Thomas (@Shawna) December 4, 2015

While there were those who simply worried about Dorothy’s missing mutt…

Still wondering: Where is #toto ? #TheWizLive

— Jerry Portwood (@jerryportwood) December 4, 2015

https://twitter.com/poniewozik/status/672602911483015168

Some came to cheer…

https://twitter.com/AudraEqualityMc/status/672588849093214208

Some to sneer…

https://twitter.com/rachelzarrell/status/672593260448243716

And others came for the wrong show entirely…

https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/672587044250624002

Still, people just seemed to be into the production…

Admit it. Hate-watching has nothing on this. #TheWizLive

— Ellen Gray (@elgray) December 4, 2015

Even if those Apple ads left some playing producer…

https://twitter.com/TVMcGee/status/672609635409334272

And because this was Twitter, there had to be some social commentary…

The Wicked Witch should have moved to #California bc there's like no water there. #drought 💧@nbc #TheWiz LIVE #WatchParty

— BroadwayWorld (@BroadwayWorld) December 4, 2015

The Wiz and Dorothy: Immigrants. They get the job done.

— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) December 4, 2015

All these black folks from Nebraska. The magic of fiction. #TheWizLive

— Jamey_Giddens (@Jamey_Giddens) December 4, 2015

And hard truths about Dorothy’s path of destruction…

Dorothy is starting to get real cocky about killing that witch. It was an accident Boo. You ain't no real killah! #TheWizLive

— Gabby Sidibe (@GabbySidibe) December 4, 2015

There were, of course, also some TV references.