Catch the new Wonka musical airing on TV tonight

Christina Izzo
·2 min read
Timothée Chalamet in his red coat as Willy Wonka in the 2023 Wonka musical.
Timothée Chalamet in his red coat as Willy Wonka in the 2023 Wonka musical.

Along with the likes of Barbie and Oppenheimer, the new Wonka musical was one of the biggest movies of 2023, drawing in a massive $625 million at the global box office. But if you missed out on watching Timothée Chalamet take on the role of the eponymous candy man while the film was in theaters, you can now enjoy the critically acclaimed cinematic treat from the comfort of your own couch.

Chalamet received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the famous inventor-chocolatier in this prequel film, which follows Willy as a young man dreaming of opening a chocolate shop at The Galéries Gourmet. Rounding out the cast are Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman and, hilariously, Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa named Lofty.

Wonka made its theatrical debut on December 15 stateside but now the musical fantasy flick is coming to television and streaming. It will air on HBO tonight, March 9 at 8pm Eastern. HBO is available with most cable TV subscriptions. However, if you've cut the cord, you have watch live simulcasts of HBO channels via several live TV streaming service options, including Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream. You also have access to HBO programming through the network's streaming platform, Max.

The 2023 musical is considered a standalone film, so it's not tied to past film adaptations of Roald Dalh's beloved 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. However, Wonka director Paul King considers the recent version a "companion" piece to the 1971 classic starring Gene Wilder.

King told Slash Film: "I think because [Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory] was my formative thing, I kinda felt there's something canonical about that. There are choices they made, and I didn't want our movie to spoil that movie for generations, I suppose, because it's such an enduring classic."

"So I felt it would be great if our movie could work as a companion piece, and then ultimately, 20 or 30 years down the line, when the Timothée Chalamet Wonka has grown up, he's closer in tone to Gene Wilder," King continued. "I don't think either of us was interested in doing an impersonation or something that was exactly that, but something that sat within that universe of Willy Wonka."

Check out the trailer for Wonka before tuning into the family-friendly musical on HBO tonight.