'Smash' Renewed for a Second Season

NBC has renewed Smash for a second season, reportedly asking for a fifteen episode order.

As of right now, Smash is averaging 7.7 Million viewers and a 2.6 demo rating.

'Smash' is Looking Good

The ratings the past couple weeks for NBC's Smash have started to increase with a consistent season average of 2.8 in the demo and around 8 million viewers. According to this site Smash is acing it in the demo charts and has an A ++ demo grade. While the show has yet to be cancelled or renewed, the odds are in their favor.

"The River" Valid Only as a Satire of Reality Television

This article goes into some interesting territory in reviewing "The River"- and makes a claim that the format itself (that of a found footage narrative) is inappropriate for television. The ridiculous premise, according to this author, is made even more laughable by the unrealistic narrative. I found this to be an accurate analysis. What does everyone think?

NBC Caught Between Rising "Voice", crashing "Smash"

The Chicago Tribune paints a grim picture for the future of the ultra-expensive Smash. Looking at the survival rate for new shows, only three: Grimm, Up All Night, and Whitney have made it on NBC. Robert Greenblatt, NBC president, stands by Smash proclaiming that it was never designed to be the most popular show on TV. Greenblatt was chosen for NBC because he had the ability to create quality dramas such as Weeds and Dexter on cable TV. Smash will be his first big test in translating that formula to a wider audience.

Ratings Dip for Smash

NBC's Broadway series "Smash" experienced another ratings drop this week, according to this article from The New York Times. 

Smash: Glee for Adults?

Smash has been commonly linked with Fox's Glee as they are both of the musical genre. This article in the Hollywood Reporter briefly discusses those comparisons and to a certain extent even accepts them, if Glee is for teens (not exclusively) then Smash is most certainly for an older demographic (also not exclusiveluy).

Also this article discusses the differences in the subject matter from the original inception of the series, as it now is NBC's big hit and does not belong to Showtime. Had the show stayed with Showtime it would most certainly have catered to an adult audience and have much less in common with Glee and its "high school musical" nature. Personally, as a fan of Glee (although my loyalty has considerably faded) I understand the comparisons but I stress to friends that Smash is not Glee, and the only thing in my mind that they have in common is the musical aspect. What do you all, those who have watched both shows, think about the comparisons?

M.I.A's Middle Finger Malfunction

Wardrobe malfunctions are so 2004.

In case you missed it, M.I.A. flipped millions of viewers the bird during this year's halftime show.

According to this article from EW, NBC Sports issued an apology saying, "We apologize for the inappropriate gesture that aired during halftime.  It was a spontaneous gesture that our delay system caught late."

NBC Swaps Out "Firm" for "Awake"

The underperforming legal drama sequel to the 1993 movie, based on the John Grisham novel, will find itself in the 9pm slot on Saturdays starting February 11.

If not for the incredibly low licensing fee for the series, NBC might have already cancelled the show.  According to Reuters, Sony and Entertainment One sold "The Firm" to international networks, "to cover almost the entire cost of production before they sold it to NBC.  That means that NBC pays a much lower licensing fee for the series to air."

The show isn't expected to do any better in "Saturday-night TV's no-man's land," which may lead to it being cancelled in the near future.

The Thursday slot will be taken by the upcoming Sci-Fi drama "Awake," which is set to air March 1.  Until then, NBC will air reruns of the fantasy series "Grimm."

"Awake" stars Jason Issacs (Harry Potter, The Patriot) as a detective leading a double life--in two different realities.  

Firm Closing?

For this class I was assigned to watch The Firm on NBC. The funny thing is, I had never heard of the program. I watch a whole lot of NBC, but mostly through places like Hulu. It had me wondering, why had I never heard of this NBC program.

Apparently I wasn't alone. The show opened up to terrible viewership, with the article stating “ The Firm averaged a flaccid 1.4 rating, which appears to be the lowest Nielsen premier rating ever for an NBC drama during the regular season.”

I for one am going to associate that with a poor marketing campaign.

According to the article, “NBC didn’t put a lot of off-network promotion muscle behind this show.” In the end, this strategy likely killed them.

In a digital age, it appears as if the program failed to capitalize on what guarantees initial success.

Will they bounce back, or is the show already a dead man walking?

Box Office Predictions and NBC's Hope In "Smash"

The Hollywood Reporter discusses how both TV and film viewership has declined since 2011. NBC is relying on "Smash" to gain back the ratings. Netflix is also mentioned in the article and the writer states how in 2011 they made many mistakes but in 2012 they will regain the money they had lost from loss of viewership.

Nicolette Keohane

NBC's 'Smash' Streaming Weeks Before Air

Not only is Harkins providing the sneak peak at NBC's broadway drama Smash tonight, but NBC will actually be making the show available for streaming three weeks before the air date.

When Fox streamed New Girl early, the show built up excitement and increased available viewership. Will NBC do the same for Smash?

Read the article to learn more.