# Smash -- "Glee for grownups" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974 "2012-02-06T13:48:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/21 "2012-02-07T20:30:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > So, it’s like Cop Rock? Dude, Cop Rock was a show before it’s time. Put that on prime time today and you got a guaranteed hit. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/22 "2012-02-08T01:15:53Z")
I liked it but then again I like Musicals and Broadway. Main issue with it is the Non McPhee girl (Ivy?) is clearly better for the part but it seems the show wants me to root for McPhee. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/23 "2012-02-08T01:26:13Z")
I have to disagree with most people here; I found it terribly boring. I won’t be watching the second episode. As an aside, I was hoping for\* Glee \*for adults. This wasn’t it (though in itself that wasn’t what turned me off it - just that it bored me). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/24 "2012-02-08T01:45:18Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I stand corrected - Smash was a [ratings smash](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-smash-voice-super-bowl-287606). > > Granted, it lost 20% viewership during the show, but with numbers like that, NBC has to be happily tap dancing their way down The Great White Way. Those numbers are almost identical to Pan Am’s debut. Remember Pan Am? The show that all the critics hailed as the best of the new season? The one that lost two-thirds of its audience by the time they took it off the air? (Has it been canceled? I don’t know, because nobody cares.) The problem with Pan Am turned out to be that the stories they told were boring and the characters weren’t developed. The writing is actually better in Smash, but the characters are one-dimensional cliches. The musical numbers are good but can you keep viewers with original songs - original Broadway songs, designed to advance the plot and be part of production numbers, both of which will be hard to do in weekly programs? The huge drop-off for the second half sounds deadly for the long run. Katherine McPhee was darling and has a huge fan base. I’d never heard of Megan Hilty, but apparently she has some fans here. (Her voice is as good, but her character is far worse.) My prediction: one of them will get the part and then lose it to the other. They’ll have lost all the non-fans by then, and the switch will alienate half the fans who are left. There won’t be a second season. ---
**Author:** ![raspberry\_hunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/25 "2012-02-08T18:16:44Z")
I loved it! Contrary to everyone else, I loved Megan Hilty and didn’t think McPhee was nearly as good , especially acting-wise (although for some reason Hilty sounded a bit hoarse to me, and I enjoyed McPhee’s singing more in the final duet). It’s definitely a soap opera, though, with the predictability and stereotypes that implies, and not spectacular in that way (though if I may make a recommendation… if you want something fantastic and performance-related, watch Slings and Arrows, which Smash doesn’t hold a candle to, although there aren’t any songs). WHAT was Random House Boy doing at all the auditions, though? There’s the producer, the choreographer, the songwriter, the bookwriter, and… random house boy? What? ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/26 "2012-02-08T18:37:02Z")
> [@raspberry\_hunter](#): > > WHAT was Random House Boy doing at all the auditions, though? There’s the producer, the choreographer, the songwriter, the bookwriter, and… random house boy? What? I don’t remember how he is described in the script, but I thought of him as a personal assistant to the composer, and even though I’ve never had a personal assistant, in my imagination, one might accompany me to auditions, ect. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/27 "2012-02-08T19:03:22Z")
Finally watched the DVR… Random thoughts - [ul] [li]It did not bring the dramatic tension for me.[/li][li]Very conventional and traditional story line, as if this same exact script could have been done in 1970 or 1960 or 1950 (but I suppose that could be intentional, as if Stage Show Biz is never changing…)[/li][li]The contrast between Hilty and McPhee was interesting in that they are sort of real life representations of their characters. Hilty was all Broadway pro playing-to-the-rafters, which is not really a fit for TV. McPhee is more TV style, but still looks like she’s over her head (not as a character choice, in real life).[/li][li]Nice to see Messing in a more serious role, she did well. It seems she is the anchor character that we are supposed to be identifying with, but it really wasn’t clear-clear.[/li][li]Huston, just because of her look, is very much iconic so she really doesn’t have to do much to make the character work.[/li][li]The various other lesser knowns were well cast and acquitted themselves adequately.[/li][li]Pilot episodes are usually amped up in a number of ways and the show usually settles down into episode 2-3-4, so I’ll give it a few more looks.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/28 "2012-02-08T19:04:07Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > \ Anjelica Huston attends closing night of \*The Addams Family \*and beats the crap out of the entire cast! > > Songwriting Partner and Evil Director roles are taken over by Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes, because, really, why not at this point? You forgot to add that Megan Mullally becomes the new producer after Angelica Huston is arrested for the assault on _The Addams Family_ cast 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/29 "2012-02-08T19:57:59Z")
I liked it, too! Though I kind of keep thinking of it as _A Chorus Line_ for TV, and imagining Karen breaking into “I Hope I Get It” at home (or on the subway, etc.). I wasn’t familiar with either Katharine McPhee or Megan Hilty before I watched the pilot; the only actors I recognized were Debra Messing and Jack Davenport (_so_ pleasantly surprised to see him!) – and, of course, Anjelica Huston. So far I like everyone well enough. The only thing that really bugged me was how naive Karen still was at 24: you simply cannot be that old and serious about theater and not know what it means when the director calls you late at night, when casting refers to you as “light,” etc. (IMHO, that is: I really have no idea what I’m talking about.) ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/30 "2012-02-08T20:17:02Z")
The \*NYT \*critic says that it gets significantly better after the pilot, so let’s see. A show has to be \*good \*to keep me up till 11:00 on a work night. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/31 "2012-02-09T00:59:04Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > There are a few turns they could throw us: Ann gets a part in A revival of “Gypsy!” and invites Ethel Merman to dinner. Ethel ends up making cooked cabbage for Ann and Donald. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/32 "2012-02-09T01:59:00Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Those numbers are almost identical to Pan Am’s debut. Remember Pan Am? The show that all the critics hailed as the best of the new season? The one that lost two-thirds of its audience by the time they took it off the air? (Has it been canceled? I don’t know, because nobody cares.) What you are forgetting is Smash is on NBC. Just like numbers on cable are different than on the Networks, numbers on ABC are different than NBC. NBC sometimes loses to Univision for crying out loud. They had a party in the streets for Smash’s ratings. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/33 "2012-02-10T01:54:35Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Dude, Cop Rock was a show before it’s time. Put that on prime time today and you got a guaranteed hit. Clearly. That’s why Viva Laughlin is well on its way to 6 seasons and a movie. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/34 "2012-02-14T14:17:18Z")
Okay, I was saying the predictability of the plotting wasn’t so bad – but Karen standing up her boyfriend to go to rehearsal? Man oh man. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/35 "2012-02-14T14:45:51Z")
I like that they are going a little meaner and darker, and _yay_, Ivy, for schtupping the director. (It’s so sad for actresses–musical theater is just \*teeming \*with hot straight men trying to sleep with them.) They \*have \*to drop that adoption plot, though, and why did they cast their eight-year-old son with an 18-year-old actor? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/36 "2012-02-14T14:47:25Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > They \*have \*to drop that adoption plot, though, and why did they cast their eight-year-old son with an 18-year-old actor? God, seriously. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/37 "2012-02-14T15:28:13Z")
I think the son was a different actor in the 1st episode than in last night’s. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/38 "2012-02-14T15:48:10Z")
As soon as she said that she’d meet the boyfriend at the dinner after rehearsal, no problem, I was saying, “Oh no you won’t.” The teenager getting bummed out because Dad wasn’t down with the adoption was off-the-charts bizarre. Most kids that age would be like, “…whatever…” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/39 "2012-02-14T15:48:16Z")
Still definitely looked like a high-schooler, though. ETA: that was in response to **corkboard**. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974/40 "2012-02-14T16:21:18Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > The teenager getting bummed out because Dad wasn’t down with the adoption was off-the-charts bizarre. Most kids that age would be like, “…whatever…” I can fully believe that a teenager would be upset about the adoption not happening. I cannot believe that a teenager would either feel like that kid felt or express it like that. **Eve** ’s right. That was an 8 year old’s reaction. I want to like the show, but that was not a good episode. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smash-glee-for-grownups/611974.md?page=3)