Smash on NBC
So, it’s back! The show that both fascinated and frustrated me as a fan of all things musical theatre, NBC’s Smash, has returned with a vengeance and a whole lot of promise. Gone are some of the most annoying characters and plotlines, and hopefully the playing field has been evened out a bit between Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) and the focus has been shifted to more than just Bombshell, the Marilyn Monroe bio-show that was the center of last season’s storylines. This year, there are more musicals in the mix, and more composers, as well as new characters and performers, a new writing team and a fresh new outlook. The first episode was a whole lot of fun—majoring on the theatre industry and the drama surrounding it, and with a lot of nods to real-life Broadway with cameos by Harvey Fierstein, Michael Riedel (again) and other luminaries. It had a much more “insider” vibe this time but it wasn’t too insular. So far it’s all looking very intriguing and I hope all the housecleaning will have paid off. I’m cautiously optimistic.
I like that they seem to be letting Karen be the bitch sometimes, as opposed to last season where she was supposed to be the “nice girl” and came across as a bitch anyway more often than not. If this show wants us to root for her, they have to give us a reason to rather than just telling us how awesome she is over and over, and letting her be a real person rather than a straw princess is a good start. She still acts ridiculously entitled especially in her interactions with director Derek (Jack Davenport), but this time I get the impression that we’re supposed to think that about her, which is a nice change.
Conversely, they’re dialing down the bitchiness with Ivy’s character and letting her be the sympathetic one for once. I really liked how this episode seemed to be setting the stage for an equalization of the characters rather than last season’s forced “Karen is so AMAZING! Forget about how great a performer Ivy is and how she owns the screen whenever she performs—she’s the VILLAIN, remember? Look at all the awful things we’ve written for her to do—sleeping with Dev! Taking pills! See? See? Isn’t she such a BITCH!??”
I found that frustrating because all the skewing just made me like Karen less and root for Ivy more. This season, which seems to be focusing on both equally for once, already seems to be an improvement. I hope the equalization continues, because for me Hilty was the real breakout star of this show, and I’m glad they’re backing off on the “oh, she’s supposed to be the villain” angle and let her have the show’s biggest moment with her solo at the American Theatre Wing gala, which was outstanding.
I also like that they are focusing more on another of my favorite aspects of last season—the relationship between musical writing partners Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle). These two have such an interesting a believable relationship, as creative partners and as best friends. I’ve found it the most potentially fascinating relationship on this show—more so than any of the romantic pairings.
There are appealing new characters as well, like Jeremy Jordan’s Jimmy and Andy Mientus’s Kyle, who work in a restaurant/bar in Brooklyn but are working on a new musical and hoping to make it big, and songs from more real-life composers like Pasek and Paul, Joe Iconis and others, in addition to more Bombshell songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Also, according to the previews and promotional materials, there will be more guest stars this season in addition to Jennifer Hudson (as Broadway star Veronica Moore), who appeared in the premiere and is expected to have a recurring role this season. It will be fun to see appearances by Liza Minnelli (as herself), Sean Hayes (as a Broadway actor in another musical) and the returning and always amazing Broadway legend Bernadette Peters as Ivy’s mother, Broadway legend Leigh Conroy.
I’ve read a lot of comments online from last season and in the lead-up to this one about how this is a very popular show for “hate-watching”–basically watching it expecting to be amused by how bad it is. I’m a little different in my approach to this show, because I don’t hate-watch. I “hope-watch”. I look forward to each new episode hoping that this show will live up to its incredible potential. Last season I ended up being disappointed a lot of the time, but there was still a lot that I enjoyed. Now it’s a new year and a fresh start and I’m all set to hope-watch for another season. Here’s hoping it’s a good one.