I wish the show was interesting and complex enough to make the meta aspects work. And those who think NBC will keep this show around beyond this season are really lying to themselves, the way network TV works is pretty cut and dry, the show is a flop so it will get cancelled. It really is just a matter of when, hopefully they'll air the entire season but I can easily see them pulling it from their schedule in a few weeks. The only thing that would keep it on the air is if NBC decides they have nothing to replace it with which could easily happen. Overall this show has been such a fiasco for the network and everyone involved. And still I'm gonna keep watching, can't stop myself...
I honestly don't think this show is as bad as many of you are making it out to be. In fact, I really like the streamlining and trimming that has been done to the plot and characters to focus the show this season.
Many of you have griped that a lot of the things that happen in this show aren't practical or believable. Guys - it's a television show. That's the point. Reality is heightened and hyperbolized. That's what supposedly makes it interesting. Most shows on television deal with extraordinary things/circumstances or have plots that aren't necessarily practical or realistically possible in normal life.
Also, I think a lot of the criticism of SMASH that comes from the theatre community is the fact that actors/theatre people, etc. are so used to and okay with hyperbolizing the lives of others in performance in theatre, film, television and what have you, but are having a hard time seeing their own world hyperbolized.
Someone on TWoP made a good point that Jeremy Jordan's character seems almost chemically imbalanced. He seriously flies into a rage about anything. I guess that's kind of Josh Safran's (sp?) modus operandi though--we're supposed to root for a guy who's a huge jerk just because he's cute and "misunderstood."
What I found fascinating last season was the creatives and the actors and the producers whipping "Bombshell" into shape for a Broadawy run. They did that. Complete with love interests, backstabbing, a casting contest, and intrigue. Bombsshell - the musical within a a show last season under Dereck's guidance seemed to be a big hit. Michael Reidel (in the show) said with a few little tweaks it was ready for Broadway. Angelicka Houston was jubilant over it. Karen was made the "star." Ivy took too many sleeping pills.
That left very little for Smash to go anywhere.
This first episode this year due to a financial scandal Bombshell was in trouble. That seemed like a good and creative plot turn especially with the "Rebecca" fiasco. Then Ivy, Derrick,the creative team had to band together to put up a united front at an Industry event. That was believable.
Now, in the second episode, its magically not in financial trouble. Then suddenly Bombshell is in "creative" trouble so a dramaturg needs to be brought in? Notice that Derrick and the dramaturg are never in the same room or scene. Dereck wouldn't put up with that. Again, the only thing that needs a dramaturg is Smash itself!!!!!
Then in the season opener Jennifer Hudson comes in and is an all-knowing star.spewing advice to the upcoming Karen. .. but now she needs Dereck to direct her in a one woman Cabaret act.... otherwise she will have to star in a revival of The Wiz as Dorothy. Poor Jennifer Hudson.
Sorry guys too many unbelievable twists and turns for my taste. In theatre, film art there is a credibility factor.. This will be the undoing of the show. This show is no longer credible and will be cancelled at the end of the season. You can't have two thirds of your audience yelling at the screen... "Oh brother." (Yes the other one third are still entertained at this nonsense)
You can't just throw bizarre plot twists at your audience and keep your show on the air. Audiences have gotten too sophisticated for this. There is very little to root for now. I strongly predict this will be cancelled at the end of the seasons.
Hopefully they will show all of the episodes. No they don't always do that.
I wasn't bored with last night's episode; there were a few little plot nuggets here and there that had me intrigued, given some of the spoilers we know (hello Ivy). Got really tired of Cousin Debbie :-p throwing a hissy fit over the dramaturg, which was a terribly confusing plot point in itself. There was a dramaturg for the college production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that I was in, and she served as a reference source, not a book writer or whatever Smash tried to claim dramaturgs do. But I digress.
I'm actually kind of hoping the Ivy/"Liasons" storyline lasts several episodes.
And while I'm thinking about it, whenever Liza appears on the show, if Karen is involved, I hope to God she has some kind of reaction and not the snooty blank look she gave Ivy's mother in Season One. Just a random thought there.
@goldenboy -- "Bombshell" is still in financial trouble. They are just being allowed to rehearse again which is why they started making creative changes to it this week. The preview for next week showed Eileen and Jerry facing off again over money issues.
Well, goldenboy, the biggest suspense is if NBC's gonna cancel the show very soon or not...(I know you meant in the show). I think they gonna keep it for the rest of this season cause they don't have ANY shows to replace it with. One good thing for the show is it's on NBC. CBS or ABC would have had canceled it with these #s.
Wow, when ew.com descides they have to start keeping up with the snarkiness of other blogs, and not just try to promote a show through their recaps, that says... Well something.
Still I found this interesting--especially since many critics said the "new improved" Smash hit it stride with the third episode:
"In a curious move, NBC decided to bundle season 2's first, second, and fourth episodes together on a screener, skipping "The Dramaturg" entirely (probably because next week's episode ends with a show-stopping Jennifer Hudson number). I can sort of see why they wouldn't want reviewers to judge the show's new season based on this episode"
"Bringing in a dramaturg character, as the show did last night (played by the always welcome Daniel Sunjata), may be true to the world of theater, but it's pretty tone deaf to the world of television. Having a super wealthy dramaturg (he does screenplay touch-ups as well) enter the scene as a sexy foil for Debra Messing's Julia is a silly, alienating idea — a sexy rich dramaturg?? — but the show played it mostly straight. That's a strangely dichotomous example of the show's warring impulses. Part of Smash is clearly trying to be a tart, bitchy, insidery nod to those who know what's up, but the other part is aching to find wider audience appeal. Both sides are given short shrift in the execution, so everyone loses. Much like the struggling fantasy genre, Smash refuses to make up its mind about what it is, to its probably fatal detriment."
"Part of Smash is clearly trying to be a tart, bitchy, insidery nod to those who know what's up, but the other part is aching to find wider audience appeal."
THIS!!! THIS!!!!! Jesus H. Christ. If I have to see friggin Bernie Telsey (no offense, Berns, cast me!), Jordan Roth or that blackhole of television, Michael Riedel for one more second, I'm going to scream. It can be insider and dishy and niche...or it can be a total fantasy about 'Hey kids, let's put on a show!'
It cannot be both. Because we've seen it try and it keeps on failing.
I was glad they compared Cecile to Marilyn, though. After every episode of season one had a "This is just like Marilyn!" moment I was beginning to miss them.
"It cannot be both. Because we've seen it try and it keeps on failing. "
SonofRobbie--I agree, but that's the problem with having a show on US network tv, particularly right now while they're fighting so hard against cable. Every network tries to have shows that fit into both slots (well, CBS is trying less hard...) and it's not working.
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joined:3/11/07
Posted: 2/20/13 at 02:28pm