Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: NBC's 'Smash' continues to stumble in season 2

Many small fixes have been made, but the bigger problems remain the same

By Alan Sepinwall Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013 10:00 AM

Katharine McPhee in "Smash."

Credit: NBC

Julia Houston, the playwright heroine of NBC’s “Smash” — and also the fictional stand-in for the show’s ousted creator, Theresa Rebeck — declares early in the musical drama’s new season (it returns tonight at 9 with back-to-back episodes) that she doesn’t like to read reviews of her work.

"I don't need some critic getting in my head!” she says, trying to ignore the press about the Marilyn Monroe musical “Bombshell” that formed the spine of “Smash” season 1. “I sat in the audience for three weeks. I know there are things that need to be done. I want this to be the best it can be."

Whether or not Julia chooses to pay attention to her critics, it’s clear that the remaining producers of “Smash” do. “Smash” was a pet project of NBC president Bob Greenblatt, and last year received lavish promotion and the best timeslot NBC had to offer, after “The Voice.” Early reviews were mostly strong, but within a few weeks, the critical and social media tide very much turned against the series. By the end of the first season, many of the people I knew (fellow TV critics in particular) who were still tuning into “Smash” said they were simply hate-watching it, because it was so easy — and fun — to mock the many terrible creative decisions.

Rebeck took the fall, both in real life, where she's been replaced by “Gossip Girl” alum Josh Safran, and on the show, where the constant thread of all the “Bombshell” reviews is that the music and performances were fantastic, but unfortunately sabotaged by Julia’s writing.

But the fixes made by Safran feel largely cosmetic, attacking superficial problems that “Smash” viewers disliked without getting at the root cause of things. Julia stops wearing a series of unflattering scarves, and the show has ditched several of its most problematic characters from last year, including conniving assistant Ellis, sleep-inducing boyfriend Dev, Julia’s whiny boy-man son Leo and her put-upon husband Frank. (To be fair, nobody really hated Frank, but his existence made people hate adulterer Julia, and the show’s not saying goodbye to Debra Messing, so he had to go.)

But “Smash” under Safran is fundamentally unchanged from “Smash” under Rebeck, in that the series continues to miscalculate how certain characters and storylines will come across to the audience.

Rebeck expected viewers to love to hate Ellis, when they just couldn’t stand him. She wanted people to feel sympathy for Julia as she juggled career and family, then threw her into an affair with her leading man that made her more unlikable than Ellis. She had character after character light up in the musical presence of

Karen Cartwright, the Iowa ingénue played by Katharine McPhee from “American Idol,” and pimped her at the expense of her chorus girl rival Ivy, played by Broadway veteran Megan Hilty. The problem was that, while McPhee has a fine voice, she’s a limited actress with a fraction of Hilty’s musical theater skills. “Smash” didn’t welcome any viewers who didn’t instantly fall in love with Karen and want her to get the role of Marilyn.

As part of the season 2 makeover, “Bombshell” winds up in legal limbo for a while. This gives Karen the opportunity to befriend Jimmy and Kyle, a young songwriting duo, played by Broadway actors Jeremy Jordan and Andy Mientus, who are working on a “Rent”-esque musical (one character even compares their work to the late Jonathan Larson’s) about trying to make it on Broadway. The volatile Jimmy is handsome and has a soulful singing voice, and we’re meant to root for Karen to help soothe his troubled heart. But he doesn’t come across as a charming dick — just an insufferable one. And when she’s with him, Karen seems even more robotic and lacking in self-awareness than usual.

Another major story arc brings in McPhee’s fellow “Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson to play a major Broadway star chafing under the control of her mother/manager. On the one hand, it’s an absolute pleasure to have Hudson around and singing frequently; for once, it’s believable when we’re told someone has major star power. On the other, she badly outclasses McPhee on what’s meant to be a duet of near-equals “On Broadway,” and the momager character seems to have been conceived backwards from how this tends to work: where Kris Jenner, Dina Lohan, etc., push their daughters to exploit their sexuality, Hudson’s mom wants her to come across as virginal, even though Hudson looks every bit of her 31 years. (Safran appears to have gone that way because the show’s fictional director Derek Willis, played by Jack Davenport, was put on earth to get his actresses to embrace their naughtier side.)

Meanwhile, Julia is paired with another writer (played by Daniel Sunjata from “Rescue Me”) to try to get her mojo back, and their “I hate you instantly but will sleep with you in 5 to 7 episodes” dynamic is every bit as irritating and clichéd as you might expect. In a later episode (critics were sent 3 of the season’s first 4 hours), one of their brainstorming sessions inspires her to try a brilliant, entirely new approach to telling Marilyn’s story — which happens to be the approach used by every other Marilyn Monroe story ever told.

In interviews, Safran and the returning producers have talked about certain odd musical numbers from the first season that they wanted to avoid, like a group singalong at a bowling alley, or a Bollywood fantasy of Karen’s. Yet there’s a Robert Palmer pastiche in tonight’s second hour that’s every bit as goofy (and, frankly, not as well-executed) as either of those.

Under Safran, “Smash” moves a bit more gracefully through its soap opera paces, and there have been some minor improvements here and there. As “Bombshell” lyricist Tom Levitt, Tony winner Christian Borle — who, along with Davenport and Hilty, was one of the few unironically entertaining parts of the first season — gets more to do, including his first full-on musical number, rather than just accompanying one of the actresses. (Putting Broadway vets like Borle and Brian D’Arcy James into predominantly non-singing roles last season was a big miscalculation.) And Jimmy and Kyle’s songs are good, and offer a different flavor from the new and old “Bombshell” numbers we keep hearing.

But unlike “Bombshell,” “Smash” isn’t some embryonic musical retooling after an out-of-town tryout. It already had its big debut on the biggest stage its network could give it, and it was a very public mess. (At press tour last month, Greenblatt referred to the show as “an unqualified success,” but couldn’t explain how you apply that phrase to a series that had to fire its creator and replace a large chunk of its cast.) And even with all the changes in front of and behind the camera, “Smash” is fundamentally the same show with the same problems. Maybe in Julia Houston’s fictional world, “Bombshell” can become a beloved work of art, but in our world, “Smash” is still, unfortunately, “Smash.”

Alan Sepinwall may be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Smash, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Jack Davenport, Anjelica Huston

WAK

Consarn you Alan, I thought there was SOME chance I could convince my girlfriend to drop Smash, but then you have to mention that Christian Borle gets more to do. And now I'm trapped staring into Katherine McPhee's dead eyes for another season.
February 5, 2013 at 11:17AM EST Reply to Comment
Adam B.

My biggest problem with last season -- and lord, there were many -- was how insistent the show was in telling us repeatedly how talented and awesome everyone was, while failing to show it. Studio 60 had the same problem -- the skits weren't actually funny -- and 30 Rock avoided the problem by readily admitting that TGS was not a very good show.
February 5, 2013 at 11:23AM EST Reply to Comment
velocityknown

I'm glad it's still bad. If it wasn't bad it wouldn't be good.
February 5, 2013 at 11:41AM EST Reply to Comment
Ricardo

I agree with you in almost everything. But I don't think people disliked Karen as much as you. I like McPhee very much, I think the problem is that they use her badly most of the time. The material is horrible. She didn't have a chance.
February 5, 2013 at 12:37PM EST Reply to Comment
- Kendra McPhee definitely has her fans. The problem is Smash is currently structured that I think you'd have to be in order to find the show satisfying in a non-hate watch kind of way.
  
  Everyone on that show had bad material. Everyone. No one, in theory, stood much of a chance. Derek is completely incomprehensible from week to week about what he wants and why he does what he does but Jack Davenport manages to find some hold on a character through that mess and be watchable. As loathsome as Julia was, I felt Debra Messing was fine in her role. Hilty had to balance an insecure character whose forward progress would quickly be cast aside when the show need a villain to elicit sympathy for Karen. Despite it all, Hilty, a relative unknown outside of Broadway, managed to become one of the sole bright spots on this show.
  
  Granted, as a performer it'd be hard to live up to the unwritten but understood "Karen Is Awesome!" subtitle this show has but otherwise she had a much easier go of it than the other actors. As a character, she was consistent. She was rarely wrong. All she had to do is project intelligence, competence and a sweet likability. So she stood a very good chance. She just failed for so many of us. Not all viewers, naturally, but many.
  February 5, 2013 at 1:03PM EST
- guest She's certainly not the only problem.
  February 5, 2013 at 5:42PM EST
Wade Kwon

This article is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how "Smash" ended up here ...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/how-smash-became-tvs-biggest-train-wreck
February 5, 2013 at 2:01PM EST Reply to Comment
- sepinwall It's a very good article, but like the show itself, everyone Kate interviewed seemed to place most of the blame on Rebeck without understanding what the problems were, or how they might be fixed this year.
  February 5, 2013 at 2:19PM EST
- eddie willers I'm not sure which was longer or more tedious, the first season of SMASH or that article.
  February 5, 2013 at 3:13PM EST
- Wade Kwon Always easier to diagnose than to fix.
  February 5, 2013 at 3:39PM EST
Mukadas

This "review" is laughable in it's idiocy. Sweeping statements like "most people were tuning in to hate-watch" indicate a manner of thinking that would be even more childish than actually "hate-watching" a show; which by the way, is really nothing but a desperate attempt by limited "critics" like yourself who can't possibly fathom that maybe, just maybe, people actually have the gall to like a show that you say is bad. Also more curious is how you call a show a "public mess" when said show gets nominated for 4 Emmys and a Golden Globe. And really, what are you, 6? " “Smash” didn’t
welcome any viewers who didn’t instantly
fall in love with Karen and want her to get
the role of Marilyn." <- in other words, "Smash didn't worship Megan Hilty the way I wanted it to."
And where is it suggested that Karen is a "near equal" to Jennifer Hudson's character? Or that she is "better" than Ivy? Isn't the whole point of the dilemma that Ivy is obviously better but Karen just "has something" Derek likes?
Even more foolish is your suggestion that NBC bosses were trying to "save face" when they called the show a success. They're not allowed to, seeing as you think otherwise, right? Your inflated sense of importance is even more pitiful considering you really are, a nobody. Your "work" involves talking about actual work others do, yet you act surprised that they don't base creative decisions on your "opinion". Tsk, tsk. Grow up, "Sepinwall"
February 5, 2013 at 3:52PM EST Reply to Comment
- Trevor Just wanted to point out that the review doesn't say "Most people were tuning in to hate-watch," it said "many of the people I knew (fellow TV critics in particular)" were doing so.
  February 5, 2013 at 5:36PM EST
- Mukadas You need to read other "articles" by this loser in that case. About this show and others.
  February 5, 2013 at 5:51PM EST
- velocityknown I like that "Sepinwall" is in quotations as is if it's not his last name.
  February 5, 2013 at 6:17PM EST
- LR i really think this is a writer for the show or an NBC exec. No other explanation for the unintentional comedy
  February 6, 2013 at 12:41AM EST
- Gigi I don't know why I'm engaging this, but I wanted to make a small point: the head guy at NBC programming called Smash "an unqualified success." The issue was more that it was described as an "unqualified success" rather than just "a success." It was successful, in terms of getting enough ratings and attention to order a second season.
  
  It was not an unqualified success, though, because that phrase means it was a complete and total success. Can you really say that a show that fired it's main creative force, basically dropped out of two or three major storylines (Karen and Dev, Julia and her family, Julia and her affair), then dropped a few minor storylines (Ellis, the bartender boyfriend), "a complete and total success?" They are overhauling the show completely, adding several new characters and a second Broadway show to care about. Hence, NBC's description that Smash was "an unqualified success" really wasn't that accurate.
  February 6, 2013 at 4:39AM EST
- SlackerInc LR, I completely agree. Reads like it comes from someone who is very core to the creative process of this show. Kind of painful to read really.
  February 6, 2013 at 7:43PM EST
- rcade Mukadas: You're misusing quote marks. They imply sarcastic doubt in what you're saying, as in this sentence:
  
  Theresa Rebeck is a "great" showrunner.
  
  The quote marks indicate you mean the opposite of what you said. So when you put them around opinion and Sepinwall, it means you don't think this review was his opinion and you don't think he's really Alan Sepinwall.
  February 8, 2013 at 10:42AM EST
- guest12 again, THANK YOU MUKADAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i laugh at tv critics!
  February 22, 2013 at 9:52PM EST
Mukadas

This "review" is laughable in it's idiocy. Sweeping statements like "most people were tuning in to hate-watch" indicate a manner of thinking that would be even more childish than actually "hate-watching" a show; which by the way, is really nothing but a desperate attempt by limited "critics" like yourself who can't possibly fathom that maybe, just maybe, people actually have the gall to like a show that you say is bad. Also more curious is how you call a show a "public mess" when said show gets nominated for 4 Emmys and a Golden Globe. And really, what are you, 6? " “Smash” didn’t
welcome any viewers who didn’t instantly
fall in love with Karen and want her to get
the role of Marilyn." <- in other words, "Smash didn't worship Megan Hilty the way I wanted it to."
And where is it suggested that Karen is a "near equal" to Jennifer Hudson's character? Or that she is "better" than Ivy? Isn't the whole point of the dilemma that Ivy is obviously better but Karen just "has something" Derek likes?
Even more foolish is your suggestion that NBC bosses were trying to "save face" when they called the show a success. They're not allowed to, seeing as you think otherwise, right? Your inflated sense of importance is even more pitiful considering you really are, a nobody. Your "work" involves talking about actual work others do, yet you act surprised that they don't base creative decisions on your "opinion". Tsk, tsk. Grow up, "Sepinwall"
February 5, 2013 at 3:53PM EST Reply to Comment
- GUEST THANK YOU MUKADAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  February 22, 2013 at 9:49PM EST
Mukadas

And this, "had to fire its creator and
replace a large chunk of its cast" <-- "large chunk"? Ellis, Dev and Frank are a "large chunk"? A bunch of supporting characters with little screen time and barely any relevance to the story? You, Sepinwall, are a disgusting fool who doesn't need to exist at all. I'd say someone needs to find your sorry ass and beat you up like the pathetic loser you are but you'd probably start whining all over the internet like a little bitch about how you got "threatened". But I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope you choke on your own vomit and spare the world the scourge of your filthy existence.
You're also a terrible "writer", by the way.
February 5, 2013 at 3:59PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan When you hear people mock deranged Internet commenters, they're talking about this guy. ^^^^^^
  
  Good God.
  February 5, 2013 at 4:22PM EST
- Mukadas And when you hear people mock people responsible for bringing idiotic internet "writers" with their heads up their asses into this world they're talking about losers like your parents.
  February 5, 2013 at 5:22PM EST
- Ricardo That's a bit harsh, no? XD
  February 6, 2013 at 6:11AM EST
- Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich If you read this in the voice of Stewie Griffin, it becomes a 1000 times funnier...
  
  "SEPinwaaalhhllll!!!"
  February 6, 2013 at 12:01PM EST
- ChampSkins HAHAHAHA this is hilarious. The just-released back up everything Mukadas has to say. Smash is the best show of all time. Except its not, and people do in fact hate-watch, except apparently a lot less people were hate-watching last night.
  
  Trolls will troll. Thats all that can really be said.
  February 6, 2013 at 1:02PM EST
- Critics are important Dear Troll:
  
  Alan Sepinwall has been a television critic, and a respected one at that, for many years. He recently wrote a well received book about the television medium, and I've personally been following him since way, way back in the day when he used to write about 'NYPD Blue'.
  
  So yes, while I'm a fan of his writing, which definitely stands out as a voice of expertise, taste, and reason in the ever-expanding internet universe, I will say that even if I wasn't, the pathetic ad hominem attacks in this overblown piece of garbage would give me pause.
  
  Only people with no logical or cogent way to articulate their opinions or substantiate their thoughts resort to name-calling and childish insults.
  
  0/10 for your post, and good day to you sir!
  
  I said GOOD DAY!
  
  February 6, 2013 at 5:00PM EST
- SlackerInc Love the responses to the OTT troll.
  
  But although I ditched this show about when everyone else did (after three or four eps), now I'm curious: how did they just get rid of the husband and son? The son was an especially odd character, but as I recall they were adopting him a baby sister as a major storyline? Did the rest of the family get hit by a bus or something?
  February 7, 2013 at 5:00AM EST
- Critics are important Slackerinc:
  
  Julia's husband was briefly in a few scenes in which it was made very clear that their marriage was over, and she moves into her writing partner's apartment (I never remember that character's name, he's just 'Christian Borle' in my mind).
  
  The son died on the way back to his home planet.
  
  Just kidding. He's 'looking at colleges', which stretches plausibility, but at least we don't have to see or hear him anymore.
  February 7, 2013 at 4:29PM EST
- SlackerInc Thanks, CAI. Boy, they just nuked them right out of there, didn't they? That is so meta. Did they even have a scene, or a line at least, to dispose of the adoption storyline?
  February 7, 2013 at 5:05PM EST
- Critics are important Yeah, Ellis straight up disappeared.
  'I miss him,' said ABSOLUTELY NO ONE.
  Nope. I guess that doesn't mean they can't address the adoption in the future, but it's doubtful.
  
  Here's all you needed to hear from this week's episode anyway, imo:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctKFixd58sg
  
  February 7, 2013 at 6:24PM EST
- rcade I'm glad you didn't say that Sepinwall should be beaten up. That would have been in exceptionally bad taste.
  February 8, 2013 at 10:44AM EST
alice20c

There's so much right in your review. I don't hate-watch in general, same with Smash. I watch it as a guilty pleasure in full awareness of how tragically bad most of it is. I've given up on them returning to the behind-the-scenes themes, my favorite part. The irrational enthusiasm for the milquetoast, charisma-vaccuum McFee is extremely off-putting. That, above anything else, alienates me from the show to the point I want to stop watching. Then, they have a scene with Jack Davenport or Angelica Huston or Megan Hilty singing, and I'm strung along again.

I would love it if they really fixed the show, but the network would have to decide to risk a ratings slump with an total overhaul. Right now, they've decided to half-ass it by fussing with the details, to add incrementally to the ratings they've already got. Sad.
February 6, 2013 at 2:10PM EST Reply to Comment
Mimi

You are so on target I really don't anything to add, except... I wanted this show to be good. I love Broadway and everything to do with. Well, everything except SMASH, which is such a sad and misguided mess. HOW can they not see the problems with the Karen character and McPhee's limits as a performer? It's SO obvious.
February 6, 2013 at 2:26PM EST Reply to Comment
- alice20c I know! She's pushed so obviously by the show in such an unavoidable central way. (The ham-fistedness actually reminds me of kids books like Harry Potter, where the author tells the reader who characters are as they show them as something completely different.) It's not the first show to get precious about someone that doesn't work. Mad Men has Megan. But the over-the-top method kills it.
  February 7, 2013 at 2:00PM EST
Jeo

Really interesting article. I keep watching Smash, but I must admit I've now taking to screaming at the screen on occasions because Ivy not only looks the part of Marilyn far more than Karen, but she's also in a completely different league as a performer, and for the show to keep maintaining the obvious nonsense that Karen would beat Ivy for the part is insane. Even if Derek wanted her for reasons unrelated to her talent (ahem!) he's got a producer and writing team who support and like Ivy, and I can't see any producer sinking her money into a show like Bombshell with Karen as the lead. It has become the elephant in the room every episode! In Ep 1 of S2, when Ivy asks Julia why she didn't get the role of Marilyn, I'm sure 98% of the audience were wondering that, too! I thought Smash had made some good changes - the boring son and boring husband had to go, although I don't think it was the fault of the actors so much as the writing. The boring son made no sense - he wants an adopted sister? Seriously? When he'll be off to college in a couple of years? I didn't buy his emotionally blackmailing "You promised me a sister" nonsense from S1 at all. Julia just came across as narcissistic in the extreme - I like Debra Messing but at this point I'm not sure the character can be redeemed. I really watch for Megan Hilty and Angelica Houston, both of whom are fabulous.
February 19, 2013 at 12:53PM EST Reply to Comment
Katherine Kaufman

The show is going in many directions without coming together at all. The jimmy character is way too angry as if someone would behave like that in front of a big director.
February 26, 2013 at 11:52PM EST Reply to Comment
cmax

The character Jimmy is soooo irritating! Palease! Put him out of his and everyone elses misery! Not finding this season as engaging as the last season.

February 27, 2013 at 2:36AM EST Reply to Comment
CJ

Do not like Jennifer Hudson on Smash - Katherine McVee is a much better singer and now Jennifer has most of the songs - she just yells them and you can't understand the words she sings - don't love the show this year
March 3, 2013 at 7:17PM EST Reply to Comment
Smash fan

I agree in some points, specially about Karen the 2 new boring duo of writers, but the songs for Bombshell are just amazing. That great music from the 50's just gives me the chills.Christian Borle is just a terrific actor. Will there be a season 3 and will we be able to watch it here in Europe?
March 21, 2013 at 6:58PM EST Reply to Comment
Talia Zacarias

This show has gone through such a roller coaster, it felt like they shoved bombshell in our face for so long and yet nothing is going on with it. they also made it seem like this whole story was about an underdog (karen) getting the job of her dreams going up against another some what underdog (ivy) with a lot of connections. After karen finally gets the part in the end of the last season to only give it up right away. its like you don't even know whats going on anymore. They promote Karen as the star of smash and yet they dont. She needs more personality actually. She just says "oh, okay, yeah, thats fine, I'm only trying to help, and hey..." i wish they would make her fight more then she does. Ivy as an actress adapts to any situation in season 2 and seemed to make it work even though she wasn't happy. and yet karen quits after a couple of weeks with a new director. it honestly seemed like derek wasn't there to make her feel better about herself and then jeremy too. it really just made her look really shallow. which was sad because i really liked her character at first. And now i feel like Ivy is my favorite.
March 24, 2013 at 5:07AM EST Reply to Comment

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Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

Review: NBC's 'Smash' continues to stumble in season 2

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Review: NBC's 'Smash' continues to stumble in season 2

Comments

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

WAK Consarn you Alan, I thought there was SOME chance I could convince my girlfriend to drop Smash, but then you have to mention that Christian Borle gets more to do. And now I'm trapped staring into Katherine McPhee's dead eyes for another season.

velocityknown I'm glad it's still bad. If it wasn't bad it wouldn't be good.

Ricardo I agree with you in almost everything. But I don't think people disliked Karen as much as you. I like McPhee very much, I think the problem is that they use her badly most of the time. The material is horrible. She didn't have a chance.

guest She's certainly not the only problem.

Wade Kwon This article is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how "Smash" ended up here ...http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/how-smash-became-tvs-biggest-train-wreck

sepinwall It's a very good article, but like the show itself, everyone Kate interviewed seemed to place most of the blame on Rebeck without understanding what the problems were, or how they might be fixed this year.

eddie willers I'm not sure which was longer or more tedious, the first season of SMASH or that article.

Wade Kwon Always easier to diagnose than to fix.

Trevor Just wanted to point out that the review doesn't say "Most people were tuning in to hate-watch," it said "many of the people I knew (fellow TV critics in particular)" were doing so.

Mukadas You need to read other "articles" by this loser in that case. About this show and others.

velocityknown I like that "Sepinwall" is in quotations as is if it's not his last name.

LR i really think this is a writer for the show or an NBC exec. No other explanation for the unintentional comedy

SlackerInc LR, I completely agree. Reads like it comes from someone who is very core to the creative process of this show. Kind of painful to read really.

guest12 again, THANK YOU MUKADAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i laugh at tv critics!

GUEST THANK YOU MUKADAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dan When you hear people mock deranged Internet commenters, they're talking about this guy. ^^^^^^Good God.

Mukadas And when you hear people mock people responsible for bringing idiotic internet "writers" with their heads up their asses into this world they're talking about losers like your parents.

Ricardo That's a bit harsh, no? XD

Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich If you read this in the voice of Stewie Griffin, it becomes a 1000 times funnier... "SEPinwaaalhhllll!!!"

SlackerInc Thanks, CAI. Boy, they just nuked them right out of there, didn't they? That is so meta. Did they even have a scene, or a line at least, to dispose of the adoption storyline?

rcade I'm glad you didn't say that Sepinwall should be beaten up. That would have been in exceptionally bad taste.

Katherine Kaufman The show is going in many directions without coming together at all. The jimmy character is way too angry as if someone would behave like that in front of a big director.

cmax The character Jimmy is soooo irritating! Palease! Put him out of his and everyone elses misery! Not finding this season as engaging as the last season.

CJ Do not like Jennifer Hudson on Smash - Katherine McVee is a much better singer and now Jennifer has most of the songs - she just yells them and you can't understand the words she sings - don't love the show this year

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WAK

Consarn you Alan, I thought there was SOME chance I could convince my girlfriend to drop Smash, but then you have to mention that Christian Borle gets more to do. And now I'm trapped staring into Katherine McPhee's dead eyes for another season.

velocityknown

I'm glad it's still bad. If it wasn't bad it wouldn't be good.

Ricardo

I agree with you in almost everything. But I don't think people disliked Karen as much as you. I like McPhee very much, I think the problem is that they use her badly most of the time. The material is horrible. She didn't have a chance.

Wade Kwon

This article is a must-read for anyone who wants to know how "Smash" ended up here ...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/how-smash-became-tvs-biggest-train-wreck

dan When you hear people mock deranged Internet commenters, they're talking about this guy. ^^^^^^

Good God.

Jon, The Earl of Hamm Sandwich If you read this in the voice of Stewie Griffin, it becomes a 1000 times funnier...

"SEPinwaaalhhllll!!!"

Katherine Kaufman

The show is going in many directions without coming together at all. The jimmy character is way too angry as if someone would behave like that in front of a big director.

cmax

The character Jimmy is soooo irritating! Palease! Put him out of his and everyone elses misery! Not finding this season as engaging as the last season.

CJ

Do not like Jennifer Hudson on Smash - Katherine McVee is a much better singer and now Jennifer has most of the songs - she just yells them and you can't understand the words she sings - don't love the show this year

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