Waiting to Exhale

Well, Freaks, I had intended to make this post a review of NBC's new show Smash, which premiered last night. And then I watched it.

It's good.

There, reviewed.

Oh, theater people....

Really. I don't have anything else to say. I liked it well enough, the musical numbers were fun, I don't hate anybody.

It was fine.

You know, I don't love anybody either. Maybe that can be excused by it being only the pilot, and they will work up to more with further episodes, but it felt a little lacking in the personality department. Honestly, the boyfriend and the assistant were more interesting than any of the main characters, although I do enjoy the interaction between Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Levitt), mostly because it felt like a real lived-in friendship. But do I care about Karen (Katherine McPhee)? Apparently not a ton, because I had to look up her character's name. She's fine, she has a nice voice and she's doing a good job. It's not that it's bad, it's just....

A little blah.

Look, anything that is not actively bad on NBC is pretty important, and the premiere got a 3.6, the highest ratings of the time slot and spectacular for NBC. But still. This is the show that you're hanging your hat on? You spent so much money on promo-ing this show that it's become a hot topic of speculation among the TV media and basically threw all of your other shows under the bus, and it's not any better than that?

You might have set expectations a little high, that's all I'm saying.

I didn't hate it.

But I didn't love it either.

If I lived in a primitive time before a DVR, and I had to actually pick one show to watch (Oh, the horror!) it wouldn't be Smash.

I just really hate how poorly managed this damn network is right now. It makes me a little crazy. I just don't understand how you keep throwing money at stuff that isn't very good (Whitney, Chelsea) and stuff that, while good, is not the greatest show ever (Smash, I'm guessing next month's Awake) and then nothing for really good shows with built in audiences (Community, The Firm, Up All Night)?

What's the plan here?

I'm really excited for NBC that both The Voice and Smash did really great ratings, it means that the network won't have to fold. But I'm not entirely sure Smash is sustainable. It feels a little like one of those shows that people in the middle of the country are going to feel got made by people who feel sorry for people in the middle of the country, do you know what I mean? Look, I went to theater school, I get the references and jokes, but I'm not sure it's not going to come of a little.... elitist.

Which is fine, if you're Aaron Sorkin.

This is not.

It's trying to be. It wants to be. Maybe it can get there.

But I'm not holding my breath.