Smash

[Spinal]

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d185/thirdmango/Match-Cut%20TV%20Posters/Smash_zpsa881b148.jpg

Any thoughts on this? Just watched the pilot and found it to be a mixed bag. I like the songs by Marc Shaiman. I thought Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty were both exceptional. I'm not crazy about the writing. It's an interesting choice to try to avoid the broadness of a show like Glee and attempt something closer to a conventional TV drama with songs. I guess I'm not seeing the potential for captivating storylines at this point. Loved McPhee's audition scene (the second one). Her private meeting with the director, however, did not feel authentic. And so far, the major crises are that one writer doesn't like the director and the other is not making herself available for an adoption process. Gonna need more than that. But, still, I'm interested in seeing another episode or two.

[Spinal]

I just remembered that McPhee lost American Idol to Taylor Hicks. :lol:

[MadMan]

This is the kind of show that either has a successful five season run at least, or gets canceled midway through its first season. There is no middle ground here.

[Thirdmango]

I love me some Jack Davenport.

[Spinal]

I kind of like this show, but I don't know how it's going to survive. It's seems almost too well-pitched at theatre nerds like me. It's going to have to get nastier and/or naughtier to draw in viewers.

[number8]

I kind of like this show, but I don't know how it's going to survive. It's seems almost too well-pitched at theatre nerds like me. It's going to have to get nastier and/or naughtier to draw in viewers.

I know exactly what you mean. I expected it to be an adult version of Glee, but I watched the first two episodes and was surprised that the entire show is about theater. Aside from the adoption, literally every character's conflicts and arcs are about working on the musical.

It's pretty fun if you like Broadway, but wow, what a limited target audience they're chasing.

[number8]

Not to mention, the only personal element on the show, the adoption angle, is about a rich family being super sad that they can't adopt a Chinese baby faster. Talk about relatable drama.

[Spinal]

Not to mention, the only personal element on the show, the adoption angle, is about a rich family being super sad that they can't adopt a Chinese baby faster. Talk about relatable drama.

Seriously. Oh no, I can't quickly and easily adopt a Chinese baby. I guess I'll have to console myself by putting more time into my job WRITING BROADWAY MUSICALS!

Yeah, this show is not going to make it.

[Spinal]

Nick Jonas? It's like you're asking me directly to stop watching.

[number8]

Man, this is really tailor made for insiders. It's pretty much as self-absorbed about it as Entourage was about Hollywood. Like the Bruno Mars musical, which is a ridiculous idea for a musical, hence the joke being, of course, is that it's at the La Mama, which is a theater here in NY known for weird, experimental off-off Broadway stuff. But to a casual viewer, then it just seems like the show made up this ridiculous premise that a new singer with only one album and like four hits would have an entire musical made around him.

[Spinal]

Yeah, I did not get that joke.

[number8]

I actually had to immediately look up on google if there was recently a Bruno Mars musical at the La Mama.

[number8]

I'm not sure why I'm still watching this.

But if you're trying to keep an affair a secret, why would you loudly sing a romantic number on the street in front of your Manhattan apartment in the middle of the night? You're not actually a character in a musical. Neighbors can hear you.

[Thirdmango]

I got 2 or 3 episodes in and though I love my Davenport I have no interest in the story.

[number8]

I'n giving this another chance. The conflicts are still not good, but they're at least not idiotic and more realistic. The song numbers are spectacular.

[number8]

Finished the season. It ended stronger than it began, and the finale is probably the best episode of the season.

I'm curious how Season 2 will fare. It's not only changing a showrunner, but some key cast members are leaving (McPhee's BF, Debra Messing's husband and the dude she has an affair with, and that fucker Ellis). Then again, those 4 people contributed to the annoying storylines, so maybe the shakeup is a move to focus more on the theater aspect and less on the dumb affairs and backstabbing.

[number8]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/bfc0fce3f83f1ce1f066f18a6fbc6e 8e/tumblr_mhrvxs3f3h1rstn0po1_128 0.jpg

I'm the only one still watching, aren't I?

Is this going to be the number8 talks to himself thread?

I really thought the season 1 finale was excellent and got the show into a groove. The season 2 premiere was promising, too. They even had a meta-scene where they addressed the criticisms of Season 1.

[number8]

Also, the new songs are great.

[number8]

Whoa.

299188427256102912

[number8]

What did you think of the first two episodes, number8?

[number8]

What did you think of the first two episodes, number8?

I liked it. Shows promise.

[number8]

I liked it. Shows promise.

Cool.

[number8]

Stupid State of the Union delaying episode 3 a week.

[number8]

Man, not used to seeing scenes about writing be played out in detail from beginning to end like that. Not even Aaron Sorkin would do that. I think I'm gonna really like this season.

I wish they'd drop the stupid fantasy cover songs, though. I'm 90% sure NBC forced those on the show to make money on iTunes, because they never add anything.

[number8]

Great episode 4. Jennifer Hudson killed that original song. She's been a fantastic addition to this season.

[number8]

Yeah, I agree, 8. Crazy pipes.

I know Jeremy Jordan's playing a songwriter, but I really want to see him perform a song rather than just singing snippets of songs as he's writing.

[number8]

I like how on this show, they spend episodes and episodes to build up a situation, only to completely scrap it and go another direction. The obvious trajectory they put this season to get Karen and Derek out of Bombshell pretty much undid all of what Season 1 built. In that regard, I think it's reminiscent of Glee's biggest weakness of Ryan Murphy getting easily bored and changing story directions, but on this show it actually adds to the realism a bit. I find it overwhelmingly believable that the pilot was all "BOMBSHELL IS THE GREATEST MUSICAL EVER" and yet here we are, over halfway through season 2, and the show is not only still not open yet, but they're finding a myriad of issues with it. The show is willing to put in the time to show that there's work involved in putting together a Broadway show (like the fact that you hear the same number being rehearsed like 4-5 times a season, the opposite of what people commonly brought up and lamented about during the first season of Glee), it's just too bad that perhaps that's not exciting enough for viewers. It really is too bad because the show obviously listened to the first season's critics. There've been no affairs, catfights, romantic dramas and evil assistants and such dragging this season. Every conflict is related to production. In doing so, though, I think the show is more insular and insider-y than ever, which was already something I brought up as a potential audience-deterrent in S1, and it's kind of a suicide move to go all in on that aspect. Most likely to be cancelled.

[number8]

This has been steadily getting better and better every week, but the last 3 eps have made this a must see show week after week for me. Last week's was riveting, but the last ep was satisfying on every level. Even my least favorite subplot with Jimmy and his mysterious drug dealer stalker was compelling for once.

They've cut down on the fantasy song numbers too, thank god.

[number8]

Totally, 8. They also did a smart thing by aligning Karen and Ivy into a genuine friendship while simultaneously setting them up going head to head.

Interesting that they're already setting up potential Season 3 productions with City of Angels and Gatsby (why does this show latch onto subjects that are gaining interest in film?), since its really unlikely at this point that they'd get it. Which sucks since I totally want to see how the new dynamics would work out. Is Kyle gonna be Tom's new book writer? Is Julia actually gonna write Gatsby as a play, or will she tap a Kyle-less Jimmy as her new composer?

[number8]

Holy shit, I knew that Hit List was supposed to be somewhat reminiscent of Rent in that it's contemporary and edgy by Broadway standards, but I never expected them to full on adapt the story of Rent's real life trajectory like that. I guess it works, and in a roundabout way a nice homage to Larson.