Unfortunately, Rosie O'Donnell's thrill and array of celebrity guests were simply not enough for her NBC variety show "Rosie Live" to pass the ratings test.

What seemed like a promising project for Rosie, who had not appeared on a TV gig since she left ABC's "The View," failed to impress the viewers, only 5 million tuned in Wednesday night, and the critics, who were far from gentle in their reviews.

Rosie herself broke the news that her attempt to revive a genre that was longtime forgotten had failed. In a post on her website on Friday, the comedian said "there will b no more" variety specials.

"no ratings
bad reviews
yet still - a thrill 4 me," she continued.

Looking beyond the lineup of stars, which included Liza Minnelli, Alanis Morissette, Alec Baldwin, Conan O'Brien and Clay Aiken, who popped up for Rosie's show, her NBC special "was nothing like" a holiday variety show, the Hollywood Reported noted.

The night was dominated by O'Donnell's ex-colleague turned nemesis, Barbara Walters, whose interview with Barack and Michelle Obama drew more than double the number Rosie's show managed.

All focus is now headed towards the upcoming variety shows scheduled to air on other networks, including the yet untitled show to be hosted by Ozzy Osbourne's family set to air on Fox. Singer John Mayer is reportedly in talks to host a variety show for CBS, although the network has not confirmed that the show is in development.