A mere month until Smash returns – without Ellis, Zev, or Julia’s scarves, but with Jennifer Hudson and Liza Minnelli. Entertainment Weekly made it the cover story in this week’s Winter TV Preview issue, excerpt here.
I’m looking forward to it – hoping it will be something I can unreservedly enjoy watching. Losing most of the home-life subplots will help – though Bernadette Peters *will *be back as Ivy’s mom.
I dropped out halfway through the first season, even though I like musicals and really enjoyed a lot of the original numbers. (The covers? Not so much.) It was such a frustrating show, with the enjoyable behind-the-scenes stuff constantly taking a back seat to the ridiculous soap-opera storylines. They’ve dropped a lot of the worst characters (Ellis, Dev, Julia’s husband whose name I can’t even remember, and Michael Swift, whom I always found very, very creepy), so that will certainly help.
Did I miss anything from the end of last season that I need to know going into this season? I know that Karen got the role instead of Ivy, which is ridiculous, but were there any reversals in that area (I hope)?
So it is time to stretch those vocal chords, put on those dancing shoes and enter, stage left, for the newest season of SMASH!
I have read that the writers have indeed listened to the viewing audience and have dropped several (annoying) characters, dropped the over-use of shawls as a fashion statement, and have added a few more hoofers and singers to even up the score with too many writers and producers and back stage characters on the show. I am less thrilled with the new plans to introduce a few “pop” tunes, instead of all Broadway-style songs, but we’ll see how that pans out.
Let’s see what happens! Break a leg!
A solid start, I thought. Getting rid of some of the dead wood and setting up some show-related plots, instead of the homelife melodrama. Wonder what’s going to happen with Jennifer Hudson?
I thought these two episodes already showed improvement over last year. I hope they can keep it up.
Not sure how much it has improved. They got rid of that weasel Ellis, but this new tortured songwriter asshole seems just as unlikable. I’d call it a wash on that point. The story of an undiscovered songwriting talent is a good idea, but I think that actor is really going to get on my nerves.
Jennifer Hudson was good, and I still like McPhee and Hilty plenty. The iciness between Karen and Ivy feels earned after all the conflict last year. Derek is still a twit.
I was on the fence about this show after last season. Tonight didn’t change that. I hope it improves.
I dunno, Derek finding out that women aren’t sleeping with him because he’s so charming might turn out to be interesting. If it become part of the story and not just an excuse to reenact Robert Palmer numbers.
BTW, the opening Jennifer Hudson number just freaking killed.
We thought it was a good start.
Liked Jennifer Hudson so far - I guess they are using American Idol as casting directors now?
Interesting that they will keep the show Bombshell as part of the driving force, but looks like they will be using a “Rent” rip-off, off-Broadway show to keep the subplot moving along. I agree the young songwriter is already a major pain in the ass - and it was a bit unbelievable that after hearing only three notes on the piano, she immediately calls the director for him to listen to this great songwriter. Yeah, that happens all the time.
Glad to see some of the characters from last season disappear - I guess it is a good thing when writers/producers take some time to read feedback on the Internet to see what people liked/hated about the show.
Adding a couple of “pop” songs wasn’t as bad as I thought - just so long as they don’t go overboard like Glee and start doing a whole show with Justin [del]Beaver[/del] Bieber hits…
All in all - a good start this season.
That stuck out to me too. But I chalked it up to the revved up speed at which everything happens in television and film. Directors and editors know that short attention span audiences won’t wait for things to develop at a real life pace.
I’m wondering why Anjelica Huston’s evil husband sabotaged the show. Later he agrees to help her bankroll it. If he wanted in, it seems he could have done so without damaging the show’s reputation. But he’s EVIL, so…
You may have missed the part where he blatantly said he wants in, but she refused and left him sitting at the table alone (and then the text that said, “go ahead with the plan”). So no, apparently he could not do so without causing some initial damage. It was a nice touch when she finally relented, but did indicate that there would be a rock solid contract sent along to be signed before money exchanged hands.
Right. Thanks for the memory jog.
I really liked it. I’m glad they did away with some of the subplots.
Whiny songwriter is whiny, but you know he’ll turn out to have a “heart of gold”. And there will be the subplot of his best friend carrying an unrequired torch for him, and he’ll probably fall in love with one of the cast dancers or something.
LOVED the disclosure-of-cheating in the bar scene. VERY Broadway, and it would have been a great scandal story.
I enjoyed this very much.
Random obs:
Debra Messing is a co-dependant neurotic mess so she moves in with her gay best friend… intriguing. And Sean Hayes is scheduled to join the show this season as well.
The loss of her on-camera son from the plot can’t but help though. Really, her husband too; I don’t much care whether the characters work it out.
If Karen gets involved with NYC’s most brilliant publicity shunning composer, Gorgeous Douche, she deserves anything she gets (though you know that’s going to include some kind of tearful “don’t leave me, I’m an a-hole but I had pain in the past and here’s the story” breakdown).
I can’t decide why I’m on Team Ivy as much as I am. I guess it’s because she’s at least an up-front self centered diva bitch whereas Karen is a nice Middle America girl (she grew up in a white frame house in Iowa and that’s where family values come from in TV land, you know) veneer over selfish-diva-bitch center.
Harvey Fierstein needs to change his name to Berenstein because he’s the official definition of “Jewish bear”.
There’s potential with the tweaking, but they need to de-GLEE-f the broad characterizations. Maybe show that Anjelica Huston’s character isn’t quite as innocent and sweet girl who spent years married to a total bastard- that she has some things he had to put up with as well or whatever.
And is the Marilyn musical (Bombshell) going to be cast aside for a new musical by asshole bartender and his gay roommate or are they going to go to work on Marilyn or… anybody know?
I’m going to guess that Bombshell is going to steal one of Douche Bartender’s songs, and there’s going to be Drama, DRAMA I SAY!
McPhee is just so flat.
All of her lines just have the same, well, non-inflection - there’s no there there. Given time, maybe she could learn how to act or something, but when I’m being told she’s the best thing since sliced bread when she’s being outdone by everyone else on the screen, it’s just jarring. I hated the “meet surly” with the new bartender.
One of the best scenes of last year was Christian Borle & Jack Davenport having it out with each other. I like the idea of tension between the three top staff. That could go in really interesting directions if it’s done well.
Angelica Huston working with her ex-husband has more potential than Angelica Huston working with her mobbed up bartender boyfriend, so that’s a step in the right direction. As is dumping Dev (who for some reason has the handwriting of an 8-year-old) and the son and Ellis (especially Ellis). Dumping Frank was the right move, the manner in which it was done was silly.
The songs from the various shows were great (even if the Marilyn musical has too many songs and seems a mess just from the glimpses we’ve seen.) For me, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” worked as a montage. “Would I Lie To You” in the “Simply Irresistible” dresses was just a mistake from top to bottom.
There’s still enough that I like about the show that I’ll keep watching it. It’s just frustrating when they make obvious mistakes.
Although I did read that Debra has specifically requested that she and Sean do NOT have a scene together - and the producers said that would be no problem as his character would probably not have any interaction with her character anyway.
Somewhat of a spoiler about upcoming cameo:
I can’t wait to see how they fit in the upcoming Liza “the trainwreck” Minnelli appearance. Perhaps she will just show up at a bar and throw up on one of the characters and then sing, “Maybe This Time”…
[QUOTE=DMark]
Somewhat of a spoiler about upcoming cameo:
I can’t wait to see how they fit in the upcoming Liza “the trainwreck” Minnelli appearance. Perhaps she will just show up at a bar and throw up on one of the characters and then sing, “Maybe This Time”…
[/QUOTE]
And still steal the show while doing it.
I love the song but that scene was filled, top to bottom, with WTF. Derek’s facial expression of shock and surprise throughout was like something you’d see in an elementary school performance. Hated the whole thing.
Karen’s new BFF with the ridiculously huge NYC apartment- have we met her before? Is she also an actor/singer/dancer wannabee, or is she independently wealthy, or something?
Karen finally grew a pair and is justifiably cold to Ivy; last season I couldn’t see her pushing past Ivy and telling her to get the next elevator. And she looked stunning in that red dress.
Hmm, we had all better really enjoy this season - as the ratings suck.
At this rate, we’ll be lucky to see all the episodes this season before they yank this off the air. Too bad.
Though I loved it when said gay best friend, after proposing the idea, commented, “It would be like a sit-com!”
