Did 'Smash' Get the Kiss of Death?
by Shannon Keirnan
Things are not looking good for NBC’s Marilyn Monroe-meets-Broadway musical drama “Smash.”
As of April 6th, the floundering show will move from its Tuesday time slot to Saturday nights to run out the rest of its episodes.
Sad news for NBC programming chief, Robert Greenblatt, who first developed the show while working at Showtime, and brought the concept with him to NBC.
This show, which stars Katherine McPhee as a singer cast to play the infamous blonde in a musical Broadway play, showed strong numbers for its first season. However, numbers declined, despite attempts to revive it that included bringing in a new showrunner and guest stars like Jennifer Hudson.
Its second season premiere was still down 71%, and the March 5th episode marked a new low for the series. It brought in just 2.68 viewers—down by around 9 million compared to its launch.
Fans who do love the show, don’t worry quite yet. NBC assures audiences that season two of “Smash” will run all 17 of its scheduled episodes.
April 2nd will show a one-hour season finale of “The New Normal,” and a new reality dating show, meanwhile, executive produced by Eva Longoria, will be heading to Tuesdays at 9, though originally scheduled to run Sundays.
“Ready for Love” will follow “The Voice” as of April 9th, grabbing the coveted spot.
On Sundays, NBC will show reruns of its Tuesday and Wednesday episodes of “The Voice,” on March 31 and April 7, leading into “Celebrity Apprentice,” which will move to a two-hour slot on April 14.