Well, here’s a twist that none of us were expecting. NBC’s four-hour adaptation of Rosemary’s Baby, starring Zoe Saldana, Suits‘ Patrick J. Adams and Jason Isaacs is going to hit the airwaves sooner than expected. You can call it a premature birth if you want to keep with the baby puns, since the TV special only began its production in January. Despite the short shoot time, the network announced today that the telefilm of Rosemary’s Baby will air its first half from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 11 – coincidentally, Mother’s Day – and its second part in that same time slot on the following Thursday, May 15.
The May premiere date does feel soon, although it could also be a testament to the quality of the film. If NBC is confident that Rosemary’s Baby will bring in viewers, as well as acclaim, they would want the added momentum of May sweeps to help get an audience. Plus, the May premiere date allows it to receive potential Emmy attention. After all, with True Detective out of the mini-series and TV movie race, there is now more room for NBC’s adaptation to get nominations.
On the other hand, though, Sunday and Thursday are the two busiest nights of TV. Rosemary’s Baby‘s premiere would interfere with Games of Thrones, Mad Men, The Good Wife and the season finale of Once Upon a Time. If NBC waited until the early summer to air the film, they could get a much bigger audience.
All that being said, anticipation is certainly high for this one and despite the surprising premiere date, I still believe that Rosemary’s Baby will be able to pull in strong ratings for the network. I know that I, for one, will definitely be watching. Will you?