NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread- Page 28

[tazber]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 11:48am

Ratings are up 17%

The ratings climb was particularly helpful for 10 p.m.’s Smash, which fell drastically from its Super Bowl week premiere last month, then seemed to perk up slightly, and then last night showed some real spark. Smash was probably aided by repeats on other networks more than Voice, though, since both Castle and Hawaii Five-0 were encores in the hour. Still, nobody forces anybody to watch a TV show, and this was a great night for the Peacock.
Link

[Gothampc]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:27pm

In last night's episode, Debra Messing crossed back into Grace Adler territory. She really was doing a decent acting job until last night.

I wish the writers would give Anjelica Houston more to do. Her character is interesting and I'd rather see her storylines than the British press agent.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:27pm

It's the most boring and predictable piece of drek I've seen in a long time. I tuned in to see if it had gotten any better than the pilot and turned it off after that boring and predictable hot mess of a production number.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:44pm

Agree with Borstal and Somethingwicked...I've always found something off-putting about Hilty/Ivy but I could never tell if it because of the way it was written or the way it's being played. I've been really, really impressed by Hilty's musical numbers, but I can't get into the character.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 12:46pm

These recaps are the other reason I will stay tuned.

[PalJoey]

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

I giggle uncontrollably every time I think that Rachel Shukert uses a capital "H" every time she refers to...Him.

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 1:46pm

"Ratings are up 17%"

I'm not sure if this makes me happy for a show I find exhilarating and mediocre at the same time, or because there are those on here who hate it to an extent that's sorta irrational and this will assuredly downright depress them.

I guess I'm just really, really happy to REALLY put it to the homophobes in the TV chat rooms who hate this show cause musical theatre is really gay.

[massofmen]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 2:13pm

wait hold the phone..the ratings are up because there was nothing else competing with it.

10 p.m. - Boosted by its lead-in and two repeats as competition, NBC's "Smash" added a million viewers to 7.82 million and also rose to a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49. ABC's "Castle" repeat was second in viewers with 6.66 million and third with a 1.4 key demo rating. CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" repeat was third with viewers with 6.55 million and second in the key demo with a 1.5 rating.


TV Ratings: 'Smash,' 'Voice' rise against reduced Monday competition

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 2:46pm

Something Wicked, I think that's a valid point. The kissing scene was way too telegraphed--and it's hard to care about the Will character or relationship when all of his history with Debra Messing's character is back story that we've been told about (and shown one ridiculous clip of).

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 3:02pm

True. Although I do sense the chemistry between their characters, and a sort of understanding. I think, maybe, if they had met before she was married, they could have had a pretty happy life together. Totally saw the son seeing them coming though, especially when we saw him and Michael so friendly.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 3:03pm

Not only was the kiss telegraphed, but the pan to the kid watching was essentially the same as the pan to Ellis eavesdropping when Messing told her collaborator about the affair.

Maybe they are going to reveal the affair one character at a time (slow pan for each) until finally everyone stages an intervention for Brian d'Arcy James. (Speaking of the latter, since each state has different requirements, why did he go to California to prepare to re-enter the classroom?)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 3:20pm

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed last night's episode, but it's things like that that are just too lazy. I mean, it's the kind of thing an average episode of Days of our Lives would even try to avoid--as soon as they were standing outside the building I (and probably everyone else) knew that the son's bedroom window was probably open and he was there watching. If it occurs to us, shouldn't it occur to the characters? While the Ellis stuff is ridiculous, at least in his case the character seems to be trying to evesdrop and find out as much info as possible, so in a way it's more plausible than these easy accidental occurences.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/6/12 at 3:20pm

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed last night's episode, but it's things like that that are just too lazy. I mean, it's the kind of thing an average episode of Days of our Lives would even try to avoid--as soon as they were standing outside the building I (and probably everyone else) knew that the son's bedroom window was probably open and he was there watching. If it occurs to us, shouldn't it occur to the characters? While the Ellis stuff is ridiculous, at least in his case the character seems to be trying to evesdrop and find out as much info as possible, so in a way it's more plausible than these easy accidental occurences.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 3/7/12 at 1:22pm

Did Theresa Rebeck write last night's? Everyone on the show was describing things as "amazing" again.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 3/7/12 at 7:01pm

I'm sorry, but the son is being played by a terrible actor. I cringe whenever I see him.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/7/12 at 9:10pm

I think he's ok, I don't think he has very good writing... And ha, no Rebeck didn't write it. Maybe Messing improvs "Amazing"--didn't she say it all the time in Will and Grace as well?

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/7/12 at 9:30pm

I just watched episode 5, and I have just about given up. It's a soap opera and people are singing in real life (even if they are the Broadway singer characters). It isn't fair to criticize the acting because the writing is SO BAD that it's hard to know what else the actors could do to compensate for it. One more episode. Maybe. "NBC's SMASH - Monday's best rated drama on TV" - yeah, because everything else on Monday night is sports or news.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/10/12 at 4:41pm

I'm always a soap opera defender, but I don't think complaining that it's a soap is valid enough--what did people expect? Complaining about the writing itself, on the other hand...

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/10/12 at 5:16pm

There's nothing wrong with a good melodrama (which is what soap operas are). The problem is this particular melodrama. I agree there is no way to judge the acting, not given the scripts with which the actors are wrestling.

Eric, I agree with you that Ellis discovering the affair is more believable than the kiss on the front stoop. But my point was that both times a third party discovered the affair it was revealed to us with basically the same camera pan. Okay, first pan went left to right and the second went up, but even the CAMERA WORK on the show is repetitive!

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 3/10/12 at 5:22pm

Well exactly--I guess I object to when something is called soap opera as a criticism--that's essentially what serialized drama is (yes, going back to Dickens, at least)--Alan Ball was adamant about pointing out that Six Feet Under was a soap. But to then ask about the quality therein is more than fair.

And you're right--it was lazy in both cases-and similarly done.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 3/10/12 at 6:58pm

As so often happens, we agree here, Eric.

I for one am not snob when it comes to a good soap opera/melodrama.

Works that rise above melodrama often do so primarily because they are concise. If Tennessee Williams had told Blanche duBois's story over the course of 24 or 48 episodes, STREETCAR would have been as much a melodrama as DYNASTY.

It's the focus on the battle between Blanche and Stanley for Stella's soul that elevates the work above its melodramatic exposition: husband's suicide, discharge from teaching for morals violation, "epic fornications", etc.

[landryjames2]

Posted: 3/11/12 at 3:08pm

I don't think I was ever as excited about a show as I was about Smash when I saw the extended preview last summer. It is a wonderful idea--and the commercials are the best thing about the show.

I don't think I have ever been as disgusted by the actual execution of show as I have been by Smash. Perhaps it is solely the writing, but everyone is so very bad in it including Huston (which does make me think it is the writing/directing). I mean everyone is SO VERY AWFUL. Messing, Borle, the Son, the "straight" assistant. Surprisingly, the only two that don't come across absolutely horrid are Hilty and McPhee. They are actually okay.

And don't get me started on the side story lines that don't deal directly with Marilyn. My dog could write better crap.

[SamIAm2]

Posted: 3/11/12 at 4:36pm

Tough crowd. Glad I don't know enough to hate the show as some of you do. I enjoy the show, look forward to each episode. To me, it's certainly not the greatest show on TV (Downton Abbey? The Good Wife?), but it's definitely fun and enjoyable. Perhaps, in this case, ignorance truly is bliss. If so, I'll take it.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/11/12 at 4:50pm

Have you seen Rick Santorum's anti-college rant, SamIAm? I think it might resonate with you. FYI, he's campaigning to get the Republican presidential nomination. Google him.

The show is a soap opera, but what TV show isn't these days? I love Ivy's borderline personality disorder and the execution of the Shaiman/Wittman numbers. I have zero use for the interpolated pop songs, be they sung by Kitty McPhee in her bra and panties or Replacement Roger to Cousin Debbie out on a city street. Also, it would have worked to have the spazzy son spying on them from behind a curtain. In the fully lit shot with the wide open window mere feet from the big number, I kept expecting Trekkie Monster to pop up.

What I thought was pretty cool was Cousin Debbie saying she's looking to go deeper with her Marilyn story yet what we have seen of the production numbers are fizzy confections as light as meringue. Then on Let's Be Bad, the imagined staging actually showed how something that sounds frothy can in fact go deeper. I appreciated that bit a lot.

I'm not taking it off of my DVR's programmed recordings.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 3/11/12 at 4:54pm

Rachel Shukert has influenced my viewing of this show way too much.