CNN to carry live performance of Broadway play ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ starring George Clooney

CNN has struck a deal that will make Broadway history: The first live television presentation of a play performed on the Great White Way.

The network will carry one of the final Broadway performances of “Good Night, and Good Luck” live at 7 p.m. eastern live across CNN, CNN International and digital on June 7, 2025.

“I can’t tell you how exciting it is to do something that’s never been done. CNN is the perfect place to bring this story of courage to so many more people than we could have ever hoped. Live TV. No net. Buckle up everyone,” said George Clooney, who stars as legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow, in a statement.

The production was Clooney’s Broadway debut and focuses on Murrow’s real-life on-air showdown with Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his search for communists in America.

The story follows how Murrow and his news team choose to confront the growing tide of paranoia and propaganda despite some significant risks.

Clooney worked with writer Grant Heslov to adapt the 2005 film by the same name that the duo also wrote. Clooney served as the director of the film and also portrayed Fred W. Friendly, who was part of the “See It Now” production team during the 1950s. David Strathairn played Murrow in the film version.

CNN’s live presentation of the play takes place just before its closing performance June 8, 2025, and will originate from its Broadway home, New York’s Winter Garden Theatre. 

The network will make the performance available live on digital platforms without any pay TV subscription required.

Advertisement

“’Good Night, and Good Luck’ is not just a celebration of a golden age in TV journalism,” said chairman and CEO of CNN, Mark Thompson, in a statement. “It’s also about the importance of the free press and the need for strong news organizations to report the facts in a fair-minded way. That’s something we still care deeply about.”

According to CNN, this special will mark the first time a Broadway play has aired live on television. While it’s true that performances of other Broadway plays and musicals have aired on television or movie theaters, these were taped versions of performances. In many of these cases, two or more performances were filmed in order to facilitate capturing all the on-stage action. Footage from both performances would then be edited together.

It was not immediately clear if CNN would leverage a short delay on its live signal in the event of a disruption inside the theatre. It was also not clear if the presentation would include commercial breaks or if a pre-taped performance would be available in the event of a technical issue.

The event allows CNN to get in on the action of live television entertainment events, which have proven popular among viewers on both streaming and linear. The practicality of the network carrying future live performances, however, is not clear, given that only select plays center around journalism themes. The network could, however, explore presenting other live events that align with other relevant topics or its documentary series.

“Good Night, and Good Luck” also stars Mac Brandt as Colonel Anderson, Will Dagger as Don Hewitt, Christopher Denham as John Aaron, Glenn Fleshler as Fred Friendly, Ilana Glazer as Shirley Wershba, Clark Gregg as Don Hollenbeck, Paul Gross as William S. Paley, Georgia Heers as Ella, Carter Hudson as Joe Wershba, Fran Kranz as Palmer Williams,Jennifer Morris as Millie Green, Michael Nathanson as Eddie Scott, Andrew Polk as Charlie Mack, Aaron Roman Weiner as Don Surine with R. Ward Duffy, Joe Forbrich, Imani Rousselle, Greg Stuhr, JD Taylor, and Sophia Tzougros rounding out the ensemble.

The creative team for “Good Night, and Good Luck” includes Tony Award winner Scott Pask (scenic design), Heather Gilbert (lighting design), David Bengali (video/projections design), Daniel Kluger (sound design), Brenda Abbandandolo (costume design), Leah J. Loukas (hair & wig design), Gigi Buffington (voice and dialect), Daniel Kluger and Bryan Carter (music supervision), and David Caparelliotis (casting director).