(CNN) Fox's "A Christmas Story Live!" didn't quite bring the holiday cheer on Sunday night. 
 
 The musical, a live remake of the 1983 movie about young Ralphie Parker's struggles leading up to Christmas Day, was widely panned by both viewers and critics. Actor Andy Walken, who plays Ralphie, is a dead ringer for Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the movie. 
 
 But the casting was not enough for the audience, which was quick to criticize the holiday musical on Twitter. 
 
 One viewer tweeted: "They managed to ruin 'A Christmas Story.'" 
 
 They managed to ruin 'A Christmas Story'. — Ross (@indyrallen) December 18, 2017 
 
 Another wrote: "I'm gonna have to watch the entire 24hr marathon of A Christmas Story to forget this dumpster fire called #AChristmasStoryLive." 
 
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 We hope Fox kept the receipt. 
 
 The network’s attempt at turning the 1983 beloved holiday classic A Christmas Story into a live TV musical was bashed by viewers on social media Sunday evening. And it turns out the ratings were pretty terrible — the three-hour telecast was seen by 4.5 million viewers and delivered a 1.5 rating among adults 18-49. 
 
 Compare that to Fox’s production of Grease Live last year which had 12.2 million viewers and a 4.3 rating. Heck, even NBC’s notorious Peter Pan Live from 2014 did better (9.2 million, 2.4). Based on these early numbers, A Christmas Story looks like the lowest-rated live TV musical since NBC revived the genre with its surprise smash A Sound of Music Live in 2013 (22 million, 5.6). 
 
 EW’s review of the small screen adaptation of the Broadway production was somewhat positive (we gave it a B-), while others were less so (USA Today gave it 1.5 stars and snarked that the show “shot its own eye out”). Naturally, any attempt to remake a nostalgic title that’s considered a nearly perfect piece of entertainment will result in some fandom backlash, but Twitter was pretty brutal — slamming the production as “a dumpster fire” and “the worst thing to ever air on television,” among other jabs: 
 
 They managed to ruin 'A Christmas Story'. — Ross (@indyrallen) December 18, 2017 
 
 #AChristmasStoryLive Just watched the live version of Christmas Story and all I can say was it was awful, Fox took a beloved Christmas story and drug it through the dirt. The story was bad, the acting was worse and the fact they tried to make it a make it a musical makes me sick — Bobby Abernathy (@BobbyAbernathy6) December 18, 2017 
 
 I'm gonna have to watch the entire 24hr marathon of A Christmas Story to forget this dumpster fire called #AChristmasStoryLive 👎🏼🤦🏻‍♂️😵 — pdxproud (@pfaffpdx) December 18, 2017 
 
 No. Just no. I’m as big a #ChristmasStory fan there is and I was really looking forward to this “Live” version on Fox, but this is an abomination. A Christmas Story is about the farthest thing from a musical there is. — Mr. Wolf (@GHSMrWolf) December 18, 2017 
 
 This live “A Christmas Story” is the worst thing that has ever been on TV, and I’m including “After M.A.S.H” — Jason Riley (@JasonRileyWDRB) December 18, 2017 
 
 The ‘live’ production of A Christmas Story is unwatchable. — Karen Short (@_ShortKare) December 18, 2017 
 
 I'm with you. #ChristmasStoryLive 
 
 wasn't horrible because it was a musical. It was horrible because it was a bad musical which butchered a Christmas classic made worse by the fact that talent like Broderick and Rudolph participated in such a crime against humanity. — Mountain Man (@JaredECaldwell) December 18, 2017 
 
 Congrats to Fox for completely ruining the classic, A Christmas Story. #killedchristmasstory — John R. Beilby, Jr. (@johnbeilbywfmj) December 18, 2017 
 
 OMG!!!! I watched A Christmas Story "Live" on Fox last night from 6 to 9pm. I'd say that those were the 3 longest hours of my life but after the 1st 45mins, once I realized in no way it was getting any better anytime soon. I just had to throw in the towel. Why mess w/a classic? — Heather Marie Penar (@MariePenar) December 18, 2017 
 
 They redid a bunch of classic films the past few years. The original is alwayz best! Just as we all know books are always better than the movies. But this monstrosity Christmas Story Live was over produced and under imagined. In my opinion it was a complete disaster. — Heather Marie Penar (@MariePenar) December 18, 2017 
 
 So was A Christmas Story Live a complete fudge-up? Were there any nice reactions? Sure! Some … 
 
 @WCIA3Alex @WCIA3Anthony I actually liked the Christmas Story Live show! Though I partly enjoy watching them to see if anyone will screw up 🤣🤣 — Leia Flure, MS, RD (@moderationmaven) December 18, 2017 
 
 "A Christmas Story" was absolutely amazing. Probably the best of the live TV events so far. — steve fogle (@stevefogle1) December 18, 2017 
 
 i didn't love christmas story, i didn't think it was executed as well as some other live musicals, but it was fun and everyone in it was talented, especially the kids. it was more enjoyable than the mediocre movie so….. — suzy 👑 (@bwaypoe) December 18, 2017
– The reviews and the numbers are in, and they all point to the same sad conclusion: A Christmas Story Live! was a flop. Based on the beloved 1983 movie about a young boy in 1950s middle America who dreams of getting an air rifle for Christmas, Fox's musical, starring Maya Rudolph and Matthew Broderick, brought in only 4.5 million viewers and got a meager 1.5 rating among adults 18-45, reports Vanity Fair. Those are just early numbers, but if they hold up, it would mean A Christmas Story Live! was the least-watched live TV musical since the genre was revived in 2013 with The Sound of Music Live!, which pulled in 22 million viewers. No doubt the show's reviews are hitting producers just as hard. One TV critic called the show a "letdown," CNN reports. Another said it "shoots its own eye out," while a third said it missed the "light fun of the holiday classic." And social media was even harsher. On Twitter, the show was called a "dumpster fire," an "abomination," and the "worst thing that has ever been on TV," Entertainment Weekly reports. But it may have been Twitter user Ross who best summed up the response to this live musical revival of a classic: "They managed to ruin 'A Christmas Story.'"