Tuned In: With 'Smash,' NBC swings for the fences with drama based on Broadway
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It is often the case that networks in the most dire straits take the wildest swings. ABC unleashed "Twin Peaks" during a ratings downturn and NBC's early 1980s desperation allowed for the creative rebirth of the network with "Hill Street Blues," "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show."
Two of those four series became hits -- "Cheers" and "Cosby" -- and two were critical darlings that changed prime time but were never ratings successes. "Twin Peaks" lasted just two short seasons. Bringing up these past creative triumphs is a way of managing expectations for NBC's "Smash" (10 p.m. Monday, WPXI); this new series is not nearly as revolutionary as "Hill Street Blues," but still defies expectations in an era of diminishing quality across broadcast networks' prime-time schedules.
When: 10 p.m. Monday, NBC.
Starring: Debra Messing, Christian Borle, above and right.
And heaven knows, NBC is swinging for the fences with "Smash," a drama about the making of a Broadway musical. That might fly on Bravo or when set in a high school like Fox's "Glee," but it seems like a long shot for mainstream success on a broadcast network. (Perhaps it's telling that "Smash" originally was developed by NBC executive Robert Greenblatt when he ran the entertainment division at Showtime, a network more willing to invest in series with niche appeal).
But even if the odds are lower than the usual 20 percent success rate that greets all broadcast network prime-time series, viewers with a love of Broadway and good ol' workplace dramas won't regret tuning in for "Smash," an entertaining drama that sucks you in and gets your toes tapping during several musical numbers.
Debra Messing ("Will & Grace") stars as Julia, one-half of a successful songwriting duo. Julia splits her time between her husband, with whom she's trying to adopt a second child, and her writing partner, Tom (Pittsburgh native and Carnegie Mellon University grad Christian Borle). The pair recently returned from launching a London production of their Broadway hit "Heaven on Earth" and they plan to take a break, in part so Julia can concentrate on her family. Julia's home life is the weakest part of "Smash" and seems like a calculated effort to draw viewers who might be more interested in domestic drama than Broadway process.
But then Tom's new assistant, Ellis (Jaime Cepero), gets the pair thinking about Marilyn Monroe and writing a new musical based on her life story. Pretty soon they're penning songs, one track gets unleashed on the Internet to rave reviews and their next musical begins to take shape.
First Published February 5, 2012 12:00 am
