SMASH

 

In May of 2011, NBC released full trailers for ten new shows. One year later, in last month's announcements for the upcoming season, it was confirmed that four of those ten have made it to renewal.

One of those which will be returning for a second season, but not for a full eight months, was the mid-season backstage showbiz drama, Smash.

The trailer released back in 2011 was based on the pilot episode, introducing the major characters and central conflict:

NBC's synopsis read as follows:

The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe -- written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, “Legally Blonde: The Musical”) and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, Will & Grace).

Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit. A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (Katharine McPhee, American Idol) -- who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds -- and stage veteran (Megan Hilty, 9 to 5: The Musical), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer Eileen (Oscar winner, Anjelica Huston, Prizzi’s Honor) discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Jack Davenport, Pirates of the Caribbean films) -- whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality.

NBC Chief Bob Greenblatt announced that the show would be held until mid-season in order to be paired with the returning reality show, The Voice.

Shaiman, Wittman, Director Michael Mayer, Rebeck

Greenblatt had been attached to the project since at least 2009, when as president of entertainment at Showtime, he was developing it with Steven Spielberg, who had been working on the concept for years, having acquired the title from Garson Kanin's novel about the development of a Broadway musical. In addition to the series itself, Spielberg envisioned the show-within-the-show eventually being mounted on Broadway in conjunction with the series. The composer and lyricist who would eventually pen the original songs for Smash, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, were already attached to the project at the time of the original announcement, but "series creator" Theresa Rebeck would not be brought in until spring of 2010 when she began the process of developing the idea outlined by Spielberg and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron into a full concept for a series. When Greenblatt moved from Showtime to NBC in January of 2011, he took the project with him.

At NBC, the project continued to develop. In February 2011, casting began to be announced with news of Debra Messing breaking on February 7th, Megan Hilty, who had played the Dolly Parton role in Broadway's 9 to 5, for which Greenblatt had served as lead producer, was announced two days later, while former American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee was announced on the 13th.

Reports about a draft of the pilot script dating to January of 2011 indicate elements of the show that would later be changed -- including Karen (McPhee) being a blonde, Ivy (Hilty), being a dancer in her mid-30s, and the include of a character named "Stephen", which apparently was later re-conceived as Will Chase's character, Michael Swift, who ultimately did not appear until the third episode of the series. Ellis, the character who initiates the idea of a Marilyn musical, was originally slated to sleep with Tom (the role eventually played by Christian Borle) in the pilot, even though he has a girlfriend.

It was announced on April 12th that shooting of the pilot had wrapped, the show had been edited, and final cut was in progress. The announcement that the show had been picked up came on May 11th, just days before the trailer was premiered.

Shooting for the rest of the fifteen-episode first season began in June of 2011, and concluded in March of 2012, approximately one month into the airing of the first season.

Though the premiere of the series was scheduled for Monday, February 6th, the day after Super Bowl XLV, the first episode was actually released for free download via Amazon and Itunes three weeks prior to the premiere as part of the promotional campaign for the show. NBC reportedly spent record amounts promoting the show in the weeks leading up to the initial broadcast.

The February 6th debut met with strong ratings and mostly positive critical response. Though at least one critic noted that some aspects of the marketing campaign made it difficult to doubt which of the rival actresses would ultimately nab the lead "Marilyn" role, majority opinion was that Smash could definitely live up to its name.


However, critical response to subsequent episodes was not as enthusiastic, with The Atlantic's Kevin Fallon reporting in April that many critics had quickly lost respect for the series after the premiere. Ratings also dipped after the debut but were seen to be leveling out by the airing of the fifth episode. On March 22nd, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second season, though later the same day the announcement came that series creator Rebeck would not be with the show in its sophomore season. In late April, it was reported that Gossip Girl showrunner Josh Safran would replace Rebeck.


By the end of the first season, New York's Vulture writer Rachel Shukert's mocking recaps of the show had become widely popular and critical response had continued to decline, with The New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum announcing in late April that while she had loved the pilot episode, she was now "hate-watching" the show. Several other critics logged similar responses and think pieces about what had gone wrong with the series over the course of the first season. 

Following the season finale, it was announced that four of the series regulars would not be returning as regulars on the second season while casting notices for three new characters appeared.