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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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Smash is a triumph.
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I've seen four episodes; they're all good.
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[It's so] good you can't help wondering why no one thought of it before, a compelling mix of credible real-life melodrama with a fictionalized approximation of what it takes to get a Broadway show from the idea stage to opening night.
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NBC hasn't had a show this impressive since the first season of Heroes. [6 Feb 2012, p.39]
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The real joys of Smash are its performances and production numbers, some fantasized, others part of the bare bones auditioning process.
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The cast, from Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty to Debra Messing and Angelica Huston, is superb. The subject matter is a carefully blended mix of artistic and accessible.
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They're fully realized characters, not freakishly talented pawns, and their stories--and choices--reflect a real-life awareness I only wish "Glee" could muster.
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Smash does a very satisfying job of merging the pleasures of "American Idol" and commercial Broadway, placing the "hummable melody" dead center and prioritizing fun over absolute authenticity.
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The cast is crowded and uniformly splendid. There's little about this captivating fusion of music, dance and potent storytelling of which the same couldn't be said.
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Smash is excellent, a bar-raiser for broadcast networks.
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Smash elegantly and energetically draws you into the orbit of a dozen dreamers and schemers at various stages in their Great White Way careers, and, like a true pro, the show makes it all look easy.
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Smash tries mightily and mostly succeeds.
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Unless you're allergic to musicals in general and Broadway in particular, you should find that a compelling central story, a strong cast, an out-of-the-procedural-mold premise and some rousing, roof-raising numbers more than compensate for any lingering problems.
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Smash is often enjoyable. [3/10 Feb 2012, p.101]
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Smash doesn't dabble in sociology: It's pure greasepaint melodrama. Sneer all you want, but if you sneak in a secret smile now and then, that's OK, too.
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An entertaining drama that sucks you in and gets your toes tapping during several musical numbers.
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The first few episodes after tonight's sensational pilot struggle to find the right balance between the musical and the dramatic, but by the fourth hour, as the new leading lady makes things difficult for the also-ran during the tense rehearsal process, Smash finds its footing.
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Though clunky in places, at its best the series captures the essence of what the movie version of "A Chorus Line" didn't, providing an illuminating window into the creative process.
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The cover songs are great and McPhee does a fine job with them, but the original tunes are very much of the overdone show-tune variety.
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The show as a whole moves briskly and confidently.
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The stereotypes slow down in subsequent episodes, which grew more entertaining with each of the four I watched.
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The show works much better when it gives us a glimpse into its distinctive milieu.
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These subplots aren't inherently dull, but they're not as compelling as the sight of a singer belting a new ballad while its authors and their patrons look on.
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It's unlikely to achieve television greatness like "M*A*S*H" did, but by Episode 3 it shows signs of becoming an addictive pleasure along the lines of this season's "Revenge."
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If Smash lacks the benefit of Aaron Sorkin's hyper-literate and unmistakable dialogue, it follows Studio 60's format, observing the producers, writers, and actors who collaborate on a show, particularly what happens backstage.
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Smash is a case where not bad is plenty good enough.
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[A] starry-eyed, badly acted, occasionally stirring series.
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If musical theater gives you goose bumps, congratulations. You just got a front-row seat. If it doesn't enthrall you, Smash will strike you as almost unbearably tedious and pretentious.
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You want to like it, because the rough patches stem more from high ambition than from shortcomings.
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As an actual network drama--for me, the most important test--it relies too much on conventional showbiz plotlines and characters for me to get invested in it.
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You'll be left tapping your feet all right--wondering impatiently if there's any sparkle under this drudgery.
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The way things are going, I would pay $100 if the purchase exempted me from having to watch any more of the show itself.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 87 out of 124
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Mixed: 16 out of 124
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Negative: 21 out of 124
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Feb 14, 2012
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Apr 3, 2012
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Mar 4, 2012