NEW YORK — The third time’s the charm for NBC.

An exuberant, inventive “The Wiz Live!” Thursday night breathed new life into the notion of full-scale musicals on live TV with a happy serving of 70s soul and R&B, updated with a 2015 vibe.

Starring a nice mix of pop music heavyweights, Hollywood stars and Broadway veterans, the show had a heart and playfulness that was missing from “The Sound of Music Live!” with Carrie Underwood and “Peter Pan Live!”

This time 12 cameras captured even higher stakes with complicated costumes, fire bursts, LED screens, a live dog, smoke and Cirque Du Soleil acrobats. And, in a nice touch, Stephanie Mills, the original Broadway Dorothy, played Auntie Em.

The TV musical starred 19-year-old newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy, who got stronger as the night went on and who crushed the song’s finale, “Home;” a strong Queen Latifah as the Wiz; Amber Riley, a very blue good witch of the North who destroyed “He’s the Wizard;” and a perfectly evil Mary J. Blige as Wicked Witch of the West.

But it was the guys who really shined: Ne-Yo, as a winning Tin Man, moving fluidly despite a rusty suit;” Elijah Kelley as an athletic, loose-limbed Scarecrow, who gave us a funky “You Can’t Win” while hoisted on a pole; and a dreadlocked, extremely furry David Alan Grier as the Cowardly Lion.