“Why doesn't anybody do new musicals anymore?”
Given the financial straights that NBC is currently in, Smash in many ways is just another show that's become the victim of it's circumstances, where the meta-narrative surrounding it seems to encompass the actual issue of the show's narrative quality. Given the money that went into making this pilot, the Glee-bandwagon-jumping high-concept, and the overly aggressive marketing campaign, is it any wonder that whenever anybody looks at it, all they see is NBC's latest “make-it-or-break” it show? In fact, the best part of Smash's premiere may be the knowledge that once that 10 o'clock hour strikes, we can all leave the hellish nightmare of over-promotion. Because even though Smash makes a solid debut, I doubt it's going to be the kind of show that build a passionate fanbase, or even inspire the regular water-cooler buzz that NBC is surely hoping for.
Assessing Smash's quality as a piece of television is a tricky endeavor, given how few musical television series have existed in the life of the medium. Glee is of course the first one to come to mind, given that it's the largest and most popular. And as problematic as that show is, that also overshadows past mainstream attempts such as Cop Rock, 70's cartoons like Josie and the Pussycats, and even kid's and tween fare like Big Time Rush. The point is, the bar is a very low one to clear (especially for former Glee fans), and the fact that Smash does it may feel revelatory, but it's probably not worth celebrating as much as we might want to.
To the show's credit, making a musical television series actually be about a musical is probably the smartest way to remain realistic and still give the audience the songs that they're surely turning in for. (I mean, I assume that's why people still watch Glee, a theory that's only bolstered by the fact that that show's Micheal Jackson episode saw a significant bump in the ratings.) But the secondary, and I would argue more important, effect of placing the musical as the center focus of the show its that it allows the stories that are being told to have focus while allowing for a believable and intriguing amount of drama. By splitting the story of the musical among three levels – the performers, the writers and director, and the producer – it assure that the show can pop in and out of these stories an avoid repetition; even better, smashing these levels against each other allows the show to achieve a level of complexity that is sorely needed. Not everything in Smash is black and white, and that's a good thing.
It's where the doesn't truly embrace the eschewing of the white-black dichotomy where it seems to stumble just a bit. Our obvious protagonist (which we can be sure off, thanks to her prominence in both the pilot and the promotional material) is Karen Cartwright (Katherine McPhee), whose “green” nature in the musical world and her decidedly non-Marilyn looks is an obvious setup for a sort-of underdog type story. This more or less precludes her eventual victory in her competition against Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) to land the starring role in the Marilyn Monroe musical, since Smash, at least at first glance does not appear to be the kind of show to truly upend our expectations. (It's also doesn't help that creator Theresa Rebeck has already revealed a multi-season plan based on this one musical.) Now, this doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, as so many well-done underdog sports movies have shown us. I just hope that the show doesn't treat it like such a forgone conclusion going forward.
A lot of show's ability to create tension will rest on how it treats the character of Ivy going forward, and she unfortunately represent the largest possible stumbling block of the whole show. In many cases, middling underdog stories will makes the antagonist completely evil, in order to make it easier for the audience to root for the “hero”. It's lazy storytelling that sacrifices characterization in order to avoid the more difficult activity of writing nuance, which tends to play better on-screen. The show gives us some of this in the pilot, as we see that Ivy both lives in squalor and has and unhappy family life, and quite possibly faces sexual harassment on a regular basis. If the show is going to make Ivy into some sort of Marilyn Monroe parallel (beautiful on the outside, deeply unhappy with her life on the inside), that all the better and fits with the subject matter, but I'd rather they just stick to making her nuanced and giving her “evil” actions believable motivation. Unfortunately, the promo that comes at the end of the pilot doesn't seem to indicate that that will be the case.
If there's a truly worrisome element to the pilot, it's that the show decided to fill out the edges around the in-show musical with more personal stories about the characters. While I obviously appreciate the show trying to give all of characters some shading and define their lives outside of the musical, I'm not sure that they are going about it in the right way. Disapproving parents, strained marriages, adoptions, frustrated boyfriends, and divorces that threaten businesses are all plots that have appeared many times on television over the years, and none of them seem to be given a fresh take here. Unlike the rough underdog angle, which can easily be improved over the next few episodes, pulling out of these trite side plots, some of which are already into full motion by the end of the pilot, it going to take a lot of work, and might not even be fixed by the end of the season.
It's these on-the-side stories, as well as the unavoidable fact that at this early stage in the show, the main musical plot can't be full affecting, which means that while there's a lot of good construction to the show, I just don't feel myself pulled into it or all that compelled to watch the next episode, outside of my general interest in it as a TV show. Admittedly, Smash probably isn't a story that will appeal to everyone (though I do give the show credit for making it as broadly-appealing as possible without compromising it's artistic vision) and so if you're a theater nerd, or just looking for a replacement for Glee, then this show will probably do it for you. But without a strong narrative pull, I doubt it's going to create the fervor that NBC wants, and it very well made end up being marked as a failure.
Other Thoughts:
Like with Glee, Smash like to dabble in fantasy sequences, but since they seem to be related to the production of musical, or personal enough to the person singing that they don't end up playing jump rope with the line between fantasy and reality.
Promotions for the show credit McPhee with an “and Introducing” credit, yet it must be said that she's done a few other acting gigs since her time on American Idol, including the film The House Bunny, and the Community episode “Basic Genealogy”. Having seen the latter multiple times, I am not surprised that she turns in good work here.
To the show's credit, making a musical television series actually be about a musical is probably the smartest way to remain realistic and still give the audience the songs that they're surely turning in for. (I mean, I assume that's why people still watch Glee, a theory that's only bolstered by the fact that that show's Micheal Jackson episode saw a significant bump in the ratings.) But the secondary, and I would argue more important, effect of placing the musical as the center focus of the show its that it allows the stories that are being told to have focus while allowing for a believable and intriguing amount of drama. By splitting the story of the musical among three levels – the performers, the writers and director, and the producer – it assure that the show can pop in and out of these stories an avoid repetition; even better, smashing these levels against each other allows the show to achieve a level of complexity that is sorely needed. Not everything in Smash is black and white, and that's a good thing.
It's where the doesn't truly embrace the eschewing of the white-black dichotomy where it seems to stumble just a bit. Our obvious protagonist (which we can be sure off, thanks to her prominence in both the pilot and the promotional material) is Karen Cartwright (Katherine McPhee), whose “green” nature in the musical world and her decidedly non-Marilyn looks is an obvious setup for a sort-of underdog type story. This more or less precludes her eventual victory in her competition against Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) to land the starring role in the Marilyn Monroe musical, since Smash, at least at first glance does not appear to be the kind of show to truly upend our expectations. (It's also doesn't help that creator Theresa Rebeck has already revealed a multi-season plan based on this one musical.) Now, this doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, as so many well-done underdog sports movies have shown us. I just hope that the show doesn't treat it like such a forgone conclusion going forward.
A lot of show's ability to create tension will rest on how it treats the character of Ivy going forward, and she unfortunately represent the largest possible stumbling block of the whole show. In many cases, middling underdog stories will makes the antagonist completely evil, in order to make it easier for the audience to root for the “hero”. It's lazy storytelling that sacrifices characterization in order to avoid the more difficult activity of writing nuance, which tends to play better on-screen. The show gives us some of this in the pilot, as we see that Ivy both lives in squalor and has and unhappy family life, and quite possibly faces sexual harassment on a regular basis. If the show is going to make Ivy into some sort of Marilyn Monroe parallel (beautiful on the outside, deeply unhappy with her life on the inside), that all the better and fits with the subject matter, but I'd rather they just stick to making her nuanced and giving her “evil” actions believable motivation. Unfortunately, the promo that comes at the end of the pilot doesn't seem to indicate that that will be the case.
If there's a truly worrisome element to the pilot, it's that the show decided to fill out the edges around the in-show musical with more personal stories about the characters. While I obviously appreciate the show trying to give all of characters some shading and define their lives outside of the musical, I'm not sure that they are going about it in the right way. Disapproving parents, strained marriages, adoptions, frustrated boyfriends, and divorces that threaten businesses are all plots that have appeared many times on television over the years, and none of them seem to be given a fresh take here. Unlike the rough underdog angle, which can easily be improved over the next few episodes, pulling out of these trite side plots, some of which are already into full motion by the end of the pilot, it going to take a lot of work, and might not even be fixed by the end of the season.
It's these on-the-side stories, as well as the unavoidable fact that at this early stage in the show, the main musical plot can't be full affecting, which means that while there's a lot of good construction to the show, I just don't feel myself pulled into it or all that compelled to watch the next episode, outside of my general interest in it as a TV show. Admittedly, Smash probably isn't a story that will appeal to everyone (though I do give the show credit for making it as broadly-appealing as possible without compromising it's artistic vision) and so if you're a theater nerd, or just looking for a replacement for Glee, then this show will probably do it for you. But without a strong narrative pull, I doubt it's going to create the fervor that NBC wants, and it very well made end up being marked as a failure.
Other Thoughts:
Like with Glee, Smash like to dabble in fantasy sequences, but since they seem to be related to the production of musical, or personal enough to the person singing that they don't end up playing jump rope with the line between fantasy and reality.
Promotions for the show credit McPhee with an “and Introducing” credit, yet it must be said that she's done a few other acting gigs since her time on American Idol, including the film The House Bunny, and the Community episode “Basic Genealogy”. Having seen the latter multiple times, I am not surprised that she turns in good work here.
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