• Network: NBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Feb 6, 2012
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Smash Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

  • Summary: The musical Bombshell is on its way to Broadway after a successful Boston tryout, however there are still challenges in its way. New characters are introduced including Broadway star Veronica Moore (Jennifer Hudson), along with songwriters Jimmy Collins (Jeremy Jordan) and Kyle Bishop (Andy Mientus), who are working on a contemporary rock musical. Expand
  • Genre(s): Music
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. 80
    Smash got the memo from viewers. I don’t think they read all of it, necessarily, but at least they got it, and they’ve changed just enough to raise the series from a C+ to a B. So: progress.
  2. Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Feb 5, 2013
    75
    New season, more promise. Good start. But seriously? Fewer plot-lines would be even better.
  3. Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Feb 5, 2013
    75
    In total, the changes have led to a show that is much better, and is on much more solid footing, than it once was.
  4. Reviewed by: Willa Paskin
    Feb 5, 2013
    60
    It is less accidentally ridiculous, and more knowingly, willfully campy, less pretentious, but also, for better and worse, less likely to include a Bollywood dance number.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. 10
    in the first episode, they answered questions concerning what happened to characters that were cut from the show-Dev, Michael Ellis --this needed to be done! they introduced us to some new cast members who just might steal the show. LOVED ALL the musical numbers as this is what SMASH is ALL ABOUT!! anyone who bad mouths the talent on this show is crazy! every cast member is incredible! i think the 'new show', Hit List with Karen Jimmy is gonna be the best part of season 2!!!! Expand
  2. Season 2 is a remarkable improvement over the first, with actually worthwhile characters being introduced while the lousy ones are gone. There are still issues with the tone and some of the acting, but I think the change of showrunner was a very good decision. I hope it lasts at least one more season. Expand
  3. I don't know why Smash got cancelled in the first place, but NBC should've renew the series because of the disappointment of Season 2. It was a very bad move for the network putting the show from Saturdays and now on Sundays. With mediocre ratings sliding, who's gonna fill in the series for the new Fall lineup? At least they still got The Voice and America's Got Talent up and running. Yeah, Season 2 was a disappointment for me, but that doesn't mean that I still like the series. I hope another network could save the series like Netflix or something. Expand
  4. Season 1's shockingly bad writing did not get fixed at all, though new showrunner Josh Safran improved the pacing. Kat McPhee is still the weakest link, and the show's emphasis on Karen as 'the most amazing talent ever' isn't evident in her performance, which makes a central element of the show ridiculous. Megan Hilty is the breakout star of this show, a show that should have been great, and she's the only reason left to watch. Expand

See all 6 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Best and Worst New Shows of the 2011-12 TV Season

    Best and Worst New Shows of the 2011-12 TV Season Image
    Published: May 23, 2012
    We've reached the end of another TV season, so it's time once again for our annual look at the best and worst shows. Find out which first-year series impressed critics and users the most, and see how the major networks compared.