In an ideal world, television reviews should focus on what viewers will see on the screen. Ultimately the question of whether or not a show is worth watching centers on the end product, but it's difficult to review any show in a vacuum. A critic's feelings on particular actors or producers can impact a review and all sorts of business and scheduling information can color the tone of the finished review.
That question of critical distance is especially a challenge when it comes to a show such as "Smash." Critics first saw the pilot last summer and they've been talking about the series ever since. It received an immense amount of positive buzz and NBC's scheduling of the premiere along with the official season premiere of "The Voce" amped up the interest to another level.
All of this is also complicated by the fact that NBC is desperate for a new primetime scripted hit and has done everything short of sending the cast out to promote the show door by door across America. At the same time critics have now seen the first four episodes of the show, giving them a perspective on the show that the average viewer doesn't have yet.
All most viewers need to know going into the show is what they've seen in the promos. The musical drama centers on the behind-the-scenes struggles of a new musical trying to make its way to the Broadway stage. "American Idol" winner Katharine McPhee plays Karen, a struggling performer who catches producers notice and quickly finds herself pitted against a Broadway veteran (played by real-life Broadway star Megan Hilty). Debra Messing and Christan Borle play a veteran writer/producer team who write the book and score for a musical about Marilyn Monroe. They're pitted against notoriously difficult director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) and Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston), a wealthy producer who tries to stay focused on the production while she goes through a nasty divorce. None of the characters are surprises but both Broadway fans and casual lovers of the performing arts will recognize the way the premiere sets up the rest of the season.
So is "Smash" worth watching? Yes, with some caveats. It's a good but not great show but it also has a lot of potential. There are some nagging character problems that are still troublesome four episodes into the season. But the structural problems aren't so significant that they can't be worked out as the season progresses.
And there are a number of positives to recommend "Smash." The acting is absolutely stellar across the board and everyone is believable and confident in their roles. The writing is also generally very good, although some of my qualms with the show have to do with a couple of the plot points in the early episodes.
But unlike "Glee," which seems to be more of a musical show trying to fit in a few somewhat related plot points, "Smash" generally integrates the music naturally into a script that is as much about the words as the music. I'm not a fan of some of the fantasy elements of the musical segments but overall the show doesn't suffer from the same tonal dissonance that makes "Glee" tough to watch at times.
One challenge that "Smash" still needs to overcome is the issue of original music. For all the jokes about "Cop Rock," that show worked in the pilot when it was able to draw on songs from Randy Newman and other veterans. That wasn't the case in later episodes and those weak tunes impacted the flow of the show.
That problem is one that "Smash" will have to overcome. Along with pop hits such as "Beautiful," the show features original sings written by veteran Broadway composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The tunes in the first four episodes are solid but not memorable and it's hard to imagine the situation will improve as the busy season progresses.
But at the end of the day "Smash" is well worth watching. It's bright and charming and unlike anything on television right now. I have no idea whether the show will help turn around NBC's fortunes and in this context, I don't care. What matters to me is that it's a good show that could be great and that's more than enough of a reason to recommend it.
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