SMASH - R.I.P
May. 27th, 2013 09:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatWatched the Series Finale of SMASH, which had been retooled with much fan-fair, but ended up dying off quietly on Memorial Day Weekend. Which, upon watching the finale? Was a good thing. While I won't miss the series, I will miss the musical numbers and am disappointed that it means there may not be any more attempts to create series like it on tv.
Oh dear, where to start? The critics were right. I don't always agree with them, but in regards to SMASH - I do. It's a shame because there were a few good episodes smashed in between the bad ones. Episodes that focused on the trials and tribulations of making a Broadway show and less on the cliche personal loves and romantic entanglements of the characters. Hollywood apparently has no understanding of the NY Theater scene or doesn't know how to write and produce a decent series regarding it.
What did work?
* the actors portraying Derek, Tom and Ivy worked hard to make sense of increasingly dumb and ludicrous storylines shoveled their way. As a result the show lit up whenever they were present in a scene, performed, or acted. And dimmed whenever they left or were not featured.
* The musical numbers
* And the tiny bits of satire aimed at the making of tv series itself, anything regarding the actual staging, direction, or struggles of creating the shows worked.
What did not work?
Ah. Everything else.
* Karen McPhee does not have an acting career ahead of her. She can't act. She can sing well enough. But has no charisma. Whenever she popped on screen NOT singing, I considered switching channels. Wood has more energy and is less stiff. Yes, she was really THAT bad.
* But Jimmy, the edgy and mysterious prodigy, who could belt a song out of the park but do little else, was even worse. Making me actually miss the dearly departed Dev, Karen's fiance from the previous season. The character should have been dripping sex appeal, instead he came across as a reject from the Broadway Show Newsies (wait he was, the actor performed on Newsies prior to being cast in Smash, apparently). Derek, the director, came across edgier and more charismatic than Jimmy, and Jimmy only lit up when he and Derek were on the screen. For a while I thought Jimmy was gay, because he only had screen-chemistry with male actors, Kyle and Derek. But no, he was supposed to Karen's new love interest. Quickest way to get me to switch channels or fast-forward? Put Karen and Jimmy on screen with no one else and have it last more than five minutes. Even their musical numbers lacked energy.
* Julia...whose storyline was all over the place. The writers seemed obsessed with finding her a romantic love interest - but no one worked. While they kept breaking up Tom from his romantic interests - who had worked. The character worked best when paired with the New Theater guy, who was formerly on Law & Order. Yet, that character disappeared once SMASH hit Broadway and Julia stopped working with him for ...a lame reason that I can't remember and made no sense, except as a last minute writing ploy to put her back in a partnership with Tom. The writers had written themselves into a corner with the character and struggled to get out of it. I'd feel sorry for Debra Messing, except she no clue how to play the role and rarely did more than look bewildered.
* Angelica Huston's Eileen was just embarrassingly stiff and a one-note joke throughout.
And the supporting dancers and actors only truly shined when they were either dancing or singing. Acting, not so much.
The writing....let me put it this way, you know there's a problem when the real Tony Awards are more entertaining and interesting than the one's depicted on SMASH. Someone needed to spend more time watching NASHVILLE and less time watching Glee.
Oh well, at least they paid enough attention to the critics online long enough to give IVY the tony for best actress and not Karen, along with Tom the award for lyrics and composition, not Jimmy. Although, at that point, it was hard to care, plus I was far too distracted by Ivy's pregnancy storyline which the writers teased us with up until the last two minutes of the telecast, only to show us the resolution from a distance, too busy telling us about Jimmy's illustrious past and depicting a somewhat lackluster song and dance number which reminded me of Chicago closing number, except not as well done.
Overall rating? D-
Good news? Both the actors that portrayed Ivy and Tom have already landed Broadway stage roles for next season.
Oh dear, where to start? The critics were right. I don't always agree with them, but in regards to SMASH - I do. It's a shame because there were a few good episodes smashed in between the bad ones. Episodes that focused on the trials and tribulations of making a Broadway show and less on the cliche personal loves and romantic entanglements of the characters. Hollywood apparently has no understanding of the NY Theater scene or doesn't know how to write and produce a decent series regarding it.
What did work?
* the actors portraying Derek, Tom and Ivy worked hard to make sense of increasingly dumb and ludicrous storylines shoveled their way. As a result the show lit up whenever they were present in a scene, performed, or acted. And dimmed whenever they left or were not featured.
* The musical numbers
* And the tiny bits of satire aimed at the making of tv series itself, anything regarding the actual staging, direction, or struggles of creating the shows worked.
What did not work?
Ah. Everything else.
* Karen McPhee does not have an acting career ahead of her. She can't act. She can sing well enough. But has no charisma. Whenever she popped on screen NOT singing, I considered switching channels. Wood has more energy and is less stiff. Yes, she was really THAT bad.
* But Jimmy, the edgy and mysterious prodigy, who could belt a song out of the park but do little else, was even worse. Making me actually miss the dearly departed Dev, Karen's fiance from the previous season. The character should have been dripping sex appeal, instead he came across as a reject from the Broadway Show Newsies (wait he was, the actor performed on Newsies prior to being cast in Smash, apparently). Derek, the director, came across edgier and more charismatic than Jimmy, and Jimmy only lit up when he and Derek were on the screen. For a while I thought Jimmy was gay, because he only had screen-chemistry with male actors, Kyle and Derek. But no, he was supposed to Karen's new love interest. Quickest way to get me to switch channels or fast-forward? Put Karen and Jimmy on screen with no one else and have it last more than five minutes. Even their musical numbers lacked energy.
* Julia...whose storyline was all over the place. The writers seemed obsessed with finding her a romantic love interest - but no one worked. While they kept breaking up Tom from his romantic interests - who had worked. The character worked best when paired with the New Theater guy, who was formerly on Law & Order. Yet, that character disappeared once SMASH hit Broadway and Julia stopped working with him for ...a lame reason that I can't remember and made no sense, except as a last minute writing ploy to put her back in a partnership with Tom. The writers had written themselves into a corner with the character and struggled to get out of it. I'd feel sorry for Debra Messing, except she no clue how to play the role and rarely did more than look bewildered.
* Angelica Huston's Eileen was just embarrassingly stiff and a one-note joke throughout.
And the supporting dancers and actors only truly shined when they were either dancing or singing. Acting, not so much.
The writing....let me put it this way, you know there's a problem when the real Tony Awards are more entertaining and interesting than the one's depicted on SMASH. Someone needed to spend more time watching NASHVILLE and less time watching Glee.
Oh well, at least they paid enough attention to the critics online long enough to give IVY the tony for best actress and not Karen, along with Tom the award for lyrics and composition, not Jimmy. Although, at that point, it was hard to care, plus I was far too distracted by Ivy's pregnancy storyline which the writers teased us with up until the last two minutes of the telecast, only to show us the resolution from a distance, too busy telling us about Jimmy's illustrious past and depicting a somewhat lackluster song and dance number which reminded me of Chicago closing number, except not as well done.
Overall rating? D-
Good news? Both the actors that portrayed Ivy and Tom have already landed Broadway stage roles for next season.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-05-27 01:35 pm (UTC)LOL
I was just looking through a list of new TV shows for this summer. Can't say any of them looked interesting. Maybe fall will be better.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-27 08:25 pm (UTC)Fall has some possibilities...
But I'm afraid the tv networks aren't really that good at thinking outside of the box, they like sure things.