NBC's SMASH, Season 2 -- Discussion- Page 83

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 6:26am

"Isn't Arrested Development coming back as a Netflix production? House of Cards was that way too, right?

When I watch Hulu and see the ads for their original series I think, 'Damn, some of this looks really good and has a decent budget.'"

Yes, and Netflix apparently did better than expected with House of Cards, and are doing pretty well now with Hemlock Grove, their Eli Roth horror soap, despite much lesser reviews. I admit, the thing I don't like about the Netflix angle is what many people love--unlike Hulu's original programming, they release the entire season at once, to try to encourage the sort of viewing people do with TV-on-DVD. My problem is that if I know I can watch all 10-13 episodes in a few days, I usually put off watching a show for months, even years, even if I am interested in it. I just prefer to have one a week...

But I do think these streaming sites have a big future--something which only two years ago I wouldn't have seen.

Speaking of online original programming, Amazon just released a bunch of free pilots on their site and apparently will pick up a couple of them depending on viewer feedback. I haven't seen any comments here yet, but one of them, Browsers, is a musical sitcom staring Bebe Neuwirth. We can't access it in Canada, and I wouldn't have even known about it except that a friend was an extra in it, but...


"You watch something like American Horror Story and think THIS is what 666 Park Avenue wanted to be, but cable (and a variety of other factors) allowed them to do it better.

Smash is interesting in the context of this discussion. It's a niche show that seems to have a passionate fanbase, but can't find an a live viewing audience and has practically been sabotaged by its network this season. "

Exactly agreed--and I know people have mentioned this before. With much of the same team as last year planned for it, I'm not sure Smash would have been a *better* show on Showtime as intended, but I feel it may have done better (I'm still annoyed that HBO didn't pick up Miraculous Year, the pilot they had Kathryn Bigelow direct that apparently was about a troubled gay musical theatre composer--a portrayal that gossip columnists said Sondheim was horrified by--it had a killer cast and sounded interesting.)

At any rate, I think network tv now basically only can handle scripted dramas that go for the broadest possible audience--and niche shows have to stick to cable (or if they're a teen drama, maybe the CW which only needs young demos to have a hit, not big numbers.) Increasingly, there's just no room for them to work on network tv, and frankly, as you point out about 666 Park Ave, cable can just do niche programming so much better, it seems unfair for the networks to try to compete with watered down variations. I love Parenthood, and it just barely sneaks by on its numbers but even there--with a well written family drama--much like with Jason Katims' past shows from working on My So-Called Life to Friday Night Lights, it would probably have more of a chance of survival on cable.

Anyway I only now was able to watch last week's Smash. And... I enjoyed it. All the same problems we're used to (plot points suddenly brought up and being focused on for the next 30 minutes, etc) but it does seem to have found some sort of rhythm in the past few weeks.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 6:33am

As for whether Anjelica Houston is a good actress or not--aside from the movies mentioned, I did think she was one of the best things in Prizzi's Honor, and was great, and subtle in her dad's movie adaptation of Joyce's The Dead.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 7:13am

Browswers was no better than any of the web series that pop up all over the place. Cute concept though. But nothing but 2 dimensional characters.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 1:22pm

So far I've watched three of the Amazon pilots, including Browsers. I really wanted to like it more than I did, but I thought the songs were pretty forgettable. Actually, the whole show was.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 2:48pm

I can't even find out anything about Browsers--who did the music? But the one clip I could play in Canada did look pretty much like a mediocre webseries.

[AtlantaRay]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 3:30pm

Not only has Smash been “practically been sabotaged by its network this season” (as one person recently wrote on this forum, and I agree---)
BUT---
tonight the local NBC affiliate in the Atlanta market (that would be you, wxia-channel 11)… has preempted tonight’s NBC broadcast of Smash in favor of their local “service awards” (or some rubbish along those lines…)

Smash can’t catch a break in any way, shape or form … DAMMMMIT!
(…actually they claim they will show tonight’s episode on sunday afternoon at 2pm! Really????)

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 3:38pm

If ratings go below a level than an affiliate can pre-empt. I believe they are meant to show it at some other time (often after 1am...) I get two different NBCs--the Seattle one and the Detroit one. The Seattle one has been pre-empting Smash with infomercials the past few times...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 3:50pm

Hey, at least your channel shows it reasonably soon after. When my NBC preempts Community they show in the middle of the night three days later (if they show it at all).

Eric, the Browsers songs were credited to Brendan Milburn and Adam Schlesinger.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 7:40pm

New episode in 15 minutes!

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:00pm

Moonstruck the Musical?! Marisa Tomei?

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:02pm

Please tell me why that Kathy Lee person had to be in this.

Rudin writing a check. LOL

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:03pm

"All" they need to do is stay open until June and the Tony is theirs! (That's how it works, just like that.)

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:04pm

Most likely something involving NBC paying them if they included anything about their shows. Kind of like how earlier in the season, there were some Chicago Fire ads in Times Square.



Updated On: 4/27/13 at 08:04 PM

[all that jazz]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:09pm

Sam is back...

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:11pm

I'm laughing at this dialogue, it's so elementary school!

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:15pm

All of a sudden, my daughter has become obsessed with this. I'm sitting here trying desperately not to give myself whiplash from rolling my eyes.

SAM is the understudy for Jimmy? Oy.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:16pm

After a the last few great episodes, the bad dialogue is back. And Sam does not have the right voice for that part. Please send him back to BOMBSHELL.

[showchoirguy]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:17pm

Carolee!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:19pm

and why is Tom uncharacteristically bitchy? And will someone push Jimmy through a window?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:21pm

Krysta looks like Anita Morris in Nine.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:21pm

AtlantaRay, they're airing the episode tomorrow at 2 pm

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:21pm

Tom was ditching her last week, but now he's all offended she chose to work solo? Talk about whiplash!

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:34pm

Wait.

WHAT??

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:34pm

Sue's gun from GLEE!

[all that jazz]

Posted: 4/27/13 at 8:35pm

What the hell just happened?? Did Karen get shot for real?