Hairspray Live!

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Hairspray Live!

TV-PG

2016

2h 0m

Musical

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

In 1960s Baltimore, a teenage dance-loving girl dreams of getting a spot on a popular television show.

Critics Consensus

Hairspray Live! shimmers with outstanding performances, an engaging story, and songs that let its stars shine.

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Mark Kennedy

Associated Press

There may have been enough aerosol spray to burn off the rest of our ozone layer, but Wednesday's ambitious live version of the musical Hairspray on NBC was worth the environmental damage. It was light and fun and soon had you stuck.

Dec 14, 2016

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Jenna Scherer

Rolling Stone

Listen: Any day we get to see Harvey Fierstein performing in full drag on network television is a good goddamn day in America.

Dec 9, 2016

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Gail Pennington

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

There was a lot to enjoy, but also so many wrong-headed choices as to make viewers sometimes wonder exactly why we were bothering.

Dec 8, 2016

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Mariah Smith

Cosmopolitan

[Jennifer Hudson] is the sole star.

Mar 7, 2018

Full Review

Emily Ashby

Common Sense Media

This is an impressive, jubilant production of a story that's rich in messages about diversity, inclusion, and loving yourself.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 9, 2016

Full Review

Malcolm Venable

TV.com

Well! That was something. NBC's Hairspray Live! didn't just raise the bar for live TV musicals -- it bedazzled it, twirled it around and threw it up in the air while doing cartwheels.

Dec 9, 2016

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Audience Member

All the cast did an amazing job personally I would watch it all the time if I had the time. would definitely recommend for Hairspray fans.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/11/25

Full Review

Stephen C

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Engaging, even if does not reach the same heights as the 2007 film (the energy of everyone is there, but not quite as magical), this story is still very relevant for nowadays. The cast is incredible, especially the deliciously funny and evil (and always perfect for every single role) Kristin Chenoweth and the ever fantastic Jennifer Hudson (with her showstopping voice in another definitive verson of a musical song), I just wanted to some stories to be more developped (looking at you, Ariana Grande). Maddie Baillio is good, but not as captivating as Nikki Blonsky.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

AMAZING BEST FILM EVER WISH THIS WAS ON ALL STREAMING SERVICES!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Funny, original, & full of music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

I love it!! super excited, with a great soundtrack!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Kenny Leon

Director

Alex Rudzinski

Director

Maddie Baillio

Tracy Turnblad

Jennifer Hudson

Motormouth Maybelle

Harvey Fierstein

Edna Turnblad

Martin Short

Wilbur Turnblad

Fanney Khan

60%

41%

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87%

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100%

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Synopsis

In 1960s Baltimore, a teenage dance-loving girl dreams of getting a spot on a popular television show.

Director: Kenny Leon, Alex Rudzinski
Screenwriter: Harvey Fierstein, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
Production Co: Storyline Entertainment
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Musical, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Runtime: 2h 0m