Smash - season 2

[Artemis@BC]

Starting this up in preparation for the return next Tuesday. Anyone else excited? I actually was starting to find a lot of the storylines getting tedious by the end of last season, but I'm finding myself very much looking forward to the new season.

The addition of Jennifer Hudson will be interesting, tho I'm not clear if it's a one-off or a recurring/regular role. She has just the right voice for this show I think -- solidly pop/R&B but with enough range & depth to take on some a variety of songs. How she'll fit in the Bombshell storyline I have no idea. But maybe she won't and it will be some side story.

2-hour season premier, Tuesday Feb 5.

[AliasJohnDoe]

I'm excited.

Smash Season 2 extended preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-wLZn8cup0

[MarieM]

I watched the first episode online, and it didn't suck, but still lacking in something. I can't say what. But it feels ... bad.

[l'etoile]

Sooo waiting for it. I thought it would be a lackluster at description but I fell in love with it in five or six episodes! Stories and characters could have been more interesting but I'm happy with it. The fact that I looooooove Debra Messing also helps--actually decided to watch it because of her in the first place.

[MarieM]

At least, let me tell you that Hudson is just fantastic That's the good point in that first episode

[morqet]

I watched the first episode online, and it didn't suck, but still lacking in something. I can't say what. But it feels ... bad.

Same, I want to love it, but it's not quite doing it for me. I guess I still can't quite get on board with a show that keeps trying to tell me that Kat McPhee is a better Broadway star than Megan Hilty. Jennifer Hudson was fabulous though, it will be interesting to see how much they do with her over the season.

[MarieM]

Same, I want to love it, but it's not quite doing it for me. I guess I still can't quite get on board with a show that keeps trying to tell me that Kat McPhee is a better Broadway star than Megan Hilty. Jennifer Hudson was fabulous though, it will be interesting to see how much they do with her over the season.

I think it's the same here. Kat is a fine fine singer, but she has zero credibility for Broadway when compared to Megan in front of the camera. And all the stories around that are ... creepy.

[jenny12]

Hope it's better than last season. I love Broadway so I was looking forward to having a show about it but I thought the writing was terrible. There was some good acting on it from Megan Hilty, but Katherine McPhee IMO was bland and it's too bad they couldn't find a stronger actress for her part.

[Artemis@BC]

Hope it's better than last season. I love Broadway so I was looking forward to having a show about it but I thought the writing was terrible. There was some good acting on it from Megan Hilty, but Katherine McPhee IMO was bland and it's too bad they couldn't find a stronger actress for her part.

I agree. It started pretty well, with a fairly balanced treatment of Karen vs Ivy. But they obviously decided very early on that Karen was going to be the saintly star and Ivy was going to be the diva-bitch, and things got eye-rollingly ridiculous from there. I kept watching because I loved (a lot of) the music, and some of the supporting storylines ... but there's definite room for improvement.

[l'etoile]

Okay, it's officially cancelled and there are two episodes remaining. I just stopped watching after three episodes this season but started catching up since Sean Hayes guest-starred and it was worth it--only for the portion of his appearances unfortunately. He's a bomb!

OMG Why is Katherine McPhee so boring and irritatingly monotonous? I skipped forward wherever she was in the scene and that felt much better and didn't hinder the flow of the show AT ALL. I just adore Megan's role and God how I love Bernadette Peters!

As much as I love Debra Messing, it's pretty apparent this show is not good enough for her. It was literally all over the place

[centerstage01]

Anyone watch the finale last night? I was very underwhelmed. Actually, when they announced there wasn't going to be a season three and then reading the plans the showrunner had for the future, I'm glad it was cancelled.

Really, the only good thing to come out of this show was Megan Hilty. That girl's got talent oozing out of her pores. I'd watch her do anything and I'm hoping she gets some plum roles coming her direction after this.

Honorable mentions go to Christian Borle, Leslie Odom, and Krysta Rodriguez.

If I never see Katharine McPhee on TV again, I'll be a happy woman. She's a great singer, but an actress she is NOT.

[heckles]

Anyone watch the finale last night? I was very underwhelmed.

I agree. I watched this noise for two hours and never found out what Ivy's going to do about being knocked up. She was talking to Derek in the last scene, but she's always talking to the guy, right before they're about to embark on yet another hook-up together. Bah. Also, I get artistic license and all that, but the rapid rise of Hit List, from rehearsing in Jimmy's living room to winning Tonys in, what, a few months? Nah. I don't buy it.

[Spareoom]

Aww, I was sad to see it canceled. The show had a lot of promise but kind of lost it's way in the first half of season two and couldn't recover. I liked the introduction of Hit List. Even though it took WAY too long and was pretty convoluted, it showed that Smash could juggle more than just one show and that the series didn't have to end with Bombshell going to Broadway and it didn't have to be Karen and Ivy always competing.

Anyway, the show did add too many ridiculous plot lines and meandered too much and that's why it got cancelled...hopefully some other writers can take the concept and re-do it, because "Glee for adults" is an awesome-sauce idea, especially since the real Glee jumped over the shark a long time ago, lol.

[jenny12]

I watched the finale. Too bad the show could not improve both writing and ratings-wise. I really enjoyed Megan Hilty, Christian Borle, Leslie Odom Jr, and Krysta Rodriguez. Too bad they didn't get writing that was more worthy of their talent. I thought Katherine McPhee was consistently dull in the show. She has a lovely voice, but does not seem able to move her face or fluctuate her voice when speaking normally.

[ross_hy]

I can only wonder what would have been of Smash had they focused more on Ivy and her Broadway journey instead of Karen. They had plenty to mine with Ivy, so I think the concept could have worked. I don't remember much about the Jennifer Hudson storyline at the beginning of the season, but I feel like it was misguided. Now if they had brought her back to play The Diva like was planned, that might have worked. Instead, they had way too much going on with 4 Broadway shows competing for screen time. I'll still miss the show, though--their musical numbers had magic that Glee has missed for a couple of years.

I still say they should find a way to make Bombshell a complete show and license it out for performances. Even Hit List could be done.

[gkelly]

My problem with Hit List is that I can't remember any of the songs. I can remember some of the staging, but not the music. They all sounded the same to me.

[Spareoom]

I remember Falling or whatever the actual title of that song is. And Broken Pieces (again, don't remember the actual song title). :p Didn't care for the more "upbeat" songs from the show but the ballads they had were pretty good!

But dang, YES BOMBSHELL SHOULD BE A REAL SHOW. I would pay to see it live in a heartbeat.

[manhn]

"Don't Let Me Know" was my most replayed Smash song of the season. Love it.

I recorded the finale this past weekend, hoping to watch it tonight. But then I read that Michael friggin' Swift was back and stoopid Julia confesses that she is in love with the jerk. And that had there been a third season, they would've brought him back to redeem him. Are you friggin' kidding me? I promptly erased the episode from my list without watching it. Michael friggin' Swift bugs me that much.

[Spareoom]

Don't worry, he is in it for about three seconds at the end and he doesn't even speak a word. I loath Swift too so I was happy his part was limited to that.

[gkelly]

"Don't Let Me Know" was my most replayed Smash song of the season. Love it.

Which one was that?