See the exec's explanation for the missing claws.
Tuesday night's presentation of The Little Mermaid Live! featured a bit of controversy when, according to viewers, one beloved Disney character didn't look quite right.
Soon after the ABC TV event kicked off, some who tuned in shared their displeasure on social media because Sebastian the Jamaican crab, played by Shaggy, was totally clawless.
"Man this actor they picked for Sebastian in the Little Mermaid Live show is awful," one critic wrote on Twitter. "How is wearing a red jacket and red pants suddenly make him a crab? They should have at least given him claws or something."
Another wrote of the missing accessories: "Can we get Shaggy some claws since he's a crab???? #TheLittleMermaidLive." Yet another viewer chimed in with, "Ok, but Shaggy should have crab claws for hands tho ? ?♀️ #TheLittleMermaidLive."
That's when Robert Mills, ABC's Senior Vice President of Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night Programming, decided to step into the conversation online, explaining in a tweet: "For those wondering, Shaggy wore crab claws in early rehearsals and it looked ridiculous. #TheLittleMermaidLive."
But Mills didn't stop there. As the show was coming to an end, he tweeted again, writing, "All done. Thanks for watching #TheLittleMermaidLive! And here you go." Alongside, he posted a behind-the-scenes photo of Shaggy sporting the claw-shaped mittens that apparently got nixed prior to airtime.
The post was quickly met with a number of fans who felt they should have kept the claws. One wrote: "You GOTTA be kidding me. This was great, you should have kept it. He looked more like a random human, mingling with the sea creatures. With 10 fingers. So not believable!"
Despite viewers' displeasure over Shaggy's missing claws, the special delivered strong ratings, according to multiple outlets and featured a number of moments and performances that viewers at home where ecstatic about, including Queen Latifah's performance as the villainous Ursula.
Head here for ET's full breakdown of the most unforgettable moments from The Little Mermaid Live! On Monday, John Stamos, aka Chef Louis, chatted with ET about the challenge of rehearsing his song for the special while his 1-year-old son, Billy, was saying some of his very first words nearby. Check out the interview below.
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