NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread- Page 25

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/28/12 at 9:46pm

It would nonetheless cost NBC a fortune to get SMASH to 88 episodes-there are relatively few weekly tv series that have cost as much as it does per episode that have made it to syndication-- I still maintain they won't easily renew a shoe that costs twice as much as 30 Rock to produce if it only levels out with less than one point above it in the ratings.

We'll see what happens- the next few episodes are Definitely the most likely to be talked about- and will Be the series' best chance at solidifying and building better word of mouth.

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 3:46am

I enjoyed Wes Taylor's appearance, too.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 5:08am

Yes, MassOfMen, that is certainly a better suggestion!

Random Person -- how did Karen wrong her? Anyone that competes with you has done you wrong? There is no reason for the animosity. And even if IVY thinks that way, ALL of her friends are that childish? It just doesn't wash with me.


I like Wes Taylor, too.

Lastly, I hate that Tom is such a pushover with everthing (the assistant, the new date...) but is so adamant about his view on the directer.

[random person 112]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 6:51am

'Grief' is not the same as being wronged. Grief in this case would a lot of worry and frustration. This can turn to anger. We've also Ivy is majorly insecure and always seeking some form of validation, the last thing she would want is someone to try to take it away from her. Validation would be the role of Marilyn and her relationship. Both of which she knows she could lose at a moments notice. So of course she's a little pissed off at karens being there. That's why she's getting karen out of things, she's worried that Karen will take those things away from her. As her friends do care for Ivy they would be a lot less friendly to Karen than one would to someone you meet off the street.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 9:44am

I was at the deli, torn between a hot ham and cheese and a turkey on rye. Then I thought, "You know, Marilyn once ate a turkey on rye." I knew then it was fate.

[massofmen]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 1:52pm

they got 4% better because Nick Jonas was on. They better keep bringing stars on the show or..

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 2:03pm

The numbers were actually adjusted and Monday's episode ended up staying on par with last week. No decline, in increase. 2.3

Updated On: 2/29/12 at 02:03 PM

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 9:38pm

Entertainment Weekly believes it is still too early to tell wether the show will surive or not.




Midseason TV Death Watch: Bubble Show Edition Updated On: 2/29/12 at 09:38 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 9:53pm

I do grow more ambivalent about it has the weeks go on but Im'a keep watching a while. Hopefully they'll realize that shoving Karen down our throats is backfiring and they'll start giving us more Ivy. Megan Hilty was wonderful in the scene where she was in bed with Jack Davenport but that scene in the rehearsal room was so over the top she may has well have been twirling a mustache.

I can deal with all these shenanigans, at least for a while, I guess. Is this what it is like to be a Glee fan? Updated On: 2/29/12 at 09:53 PM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 10:33pm

I liked this last episode and I know it's a tv show but one thing that really bothered me was how did Jonas know the lyrics to a song he never heard before?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 10:40pm

And when Karen was at the bar dancing with her new friends, why did she stand out, when the whole episode was about how she had to learn NOT to stand out.

We're expected to believe Karen never saw A Chorus Line? It was straight out of "don't pop the head, Cassie."

Updated On: 2/29/12 at 10:40 PM

[binau]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 10:46pm

Ivy is such an unlikeable character though...I don't want to see any more of her at all....Hopefully when her mother (Bernadette Peters) appears she is even worse so I feel sorry for Ivy .

RE: Karen at the bar, I mean I thought the point of her 'standing out' was that she realises she doesn't want to be in the chorus and wants to be a 'star' (leading to the drama about when Ivy/Karen once again fight for the lead role, which I'm sure is going to happen in a few episodes). Although I've only listened to the CHORUS LINE cast recording so I'm not sure if there was more to your comment that I didn't get because the reference is lost on me..

Updated On: 2/29/12 at 10:46 PM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:07pm

I've given up on expecting brilliant (or even very good) writing on this show, and I admit I enjoyed this episode much more. I think they could go more campy soap, and hope they do.

Interesting (well, to me) this was the first episode Michael Mayer didn't direct, and Theresa Rebeck didn't write, I wonder if that improved it... David Marshall Grant did write it -- I liked some of his writing on the early better years of Brothers and SIsters though I still always think of him as the actor who seemed to play every other gay role from Bent to Angels in America to the gay guy on thirtysomething.

"And when Karen was at the bar dancing with her new friends, why did she stand out, when the whole episode was about how she had to learn NOT to stand out. "

I admit that I could suspend my disbelief with the impromptu performance at the party, but THIS part really bothered me. "Iowa" aka Karen goes from being unreasonably hated by the "ensemble", then is suddenly taken VERY quickly under their wing, and they go ON about teaching her how to be a member of an ensemble and not stand out. SO what do they do? They teach her a routine to Adele, take her to a bar, and then they perform it with her singing lead and them performing as her backup dancers. Ummm... Lesson learned? (And I often love Wesley Taylor, he was one of my fave performances in the Tales of the City musical but man could the director tell him to just tone everything about his performance on this show down a bit?)

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:07pm

But doesn't everybody want to be a star? I was confused by this, too. Do people really dream about performing in the ensemble of a musical as much as starring in a musical and winning a Tony? All (or most) of them must have ambitions to be lead actors, but they had to learn to suck it up and not pull focus while in the chorus, as Karen should learn.

qolbinau, in A Chorus Line, Zach is hesitant to cast Cassie because she doesn't dance like anyone else. He thinks she should be a star and he does not want to let her start over because she keeps pulling focus when the focus should be on the (non-existent) star being referenced in "One". The "don't pop the head, Cassie" lines are proving Zach's point that she sticks out when she shouldn't, and she almost didn't get the job, but the last time, she pulls back and blends in.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:11pm

Wesley Taylor could play Marilyn.

I would watch that.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:19pm

and Theresa Rebeck didn't write,

Ha! That must be why there were a decided lack of "amazings" peppered throughout.

And I'm with AwesomeDanny. I realize that Karen's dream isn't to be in the ensemble, but Jesus, does anyone think we're supposed to feel sorry for her? Maybe it's my dislike of Katherine McPhee, but no, I don't feel sorry for her at all. Ivy may be written to be unlikable (at least this week she was) but she's still the more compelling character. Updated On: 2/29/12 at 11:19 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:28pm

Let's play "Mean Broadway"!

Fire Theresa Rebeck and replace her with David Marshal Grant.

[bk]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 12:32am

So, the ratings in fact did not go up. And this was their big push, their big "this is where it gets good." 2.4 is not good for a show like this and anyone who tries to spin that any other way is not living in the real world.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 12:35am

bk it is underperforming for sure, but it's lucky to be on NBC and will at least play out the 15 episodes (I don't see huge hope for a second season). but c'mon what "big push"? As far as I know, one blogger (on a major blog site, but only in her Smash blog that presumably mainly Smash viewers would be reading) and several people on here were virtually the only ones to say that it improves in episode 4. It's not like NBC increased advertising, or claimed in the ads they had "if you were disappointed, THIS is where it gets good". I doubt anyone who hadn't watched Smash yet, or had already given up on the show had even heard that some felt it improved.

[bk]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:26am

I don't know from where it emanated, but I read in many places that episode four was the one to get great. Is the "blogger" paid by NBC? I completely understand it will play out its episodes. What happens from there depends on the egos of NBC and Mr. Spielberg. Of course, one does have to read the endless Facebook updates from the mom of one of the stars - that's daily and, of course, all shows are GREAT! :)

[Wicked Fanatic]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 2:07am

Of course, one does have to read the endless Facebook updates from the mom of one of the stars - that's daily

And which star's mom is this?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 2:11am

Sorry bk, I wasn't trying to pick an argument, I just thought that there hadn't been any real push on the part of NBC to proclaim the episode as the episode when the show will turn around. The only blogger I saw (and I don't read many, so there may have been more) was on the Huffington Post's site, and I don't think she's paid by NBC because her blog also said that even though she's a fan, she thought episode three was beyond awful and that everyone should ignore it or skip it (it was linked on this thread).

Confused--you have a mother of one of the stars of the show on your facebook and have to read her messages about it every day? How, umm, fun...

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 6:36am

I'll admit I'm a "fan" on their Facebook page, but hadn't realized one of the star's mom's was posting on there. I don't really care for Katherine McPhee either, but according to Facebook page, she has a following and lots of people siding with her character.

I for one, love when Megan Hilty is on, but can't believe how quickly her character has turned. I noticed as well that Michael Mayer didn't direct the last episode.

I thought it would have been more realistic for the character of "Sam" to take Karen under his wing, as he was the first one who treated her with kindness.

Also, it seems as if the dancers from the first two episodes have been replaced.

[SamIAm2]

Posted: 3/2/12 at 3:10pm

I just saw online that the people behind SMASH at NBC are doing something really neat. They are providing funding to schools to enable them to provide sustainable musical theater programs for their students. I applaud them.
NBC's "Make A Musical" program

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/2/12 at 5:04pm

Sorry bk, I wasn't trying to pick an argument, I just thought that there hadn't been any real push on the part of NBC to proclaim the episode as the episode when the show will turn around.

I agree. Except for those of us obsessed enough to read blogs, I don't think the general public knew that Epi 4 was the one when the show was supposed to get better.

The true test will be whether those people still watching now tell their friends, "Oh, it's gotten much better. You should check it out again."

My daughter has two gay dads and grew up going to Broadway shows, but she is not a theater person by anyone's definition. She thought Epi 4 was greatly improved. Now let's see how many people in Northern Massachusetts she tells...