It appears that casting Jennifer Hudson for the latest season of NBC's "Smash" has failed to garner enough interest to keep the once "hit" series afloat.
Following news that NBC is opting to move "Smash" from Tuesday to Saturday nights, executive producer Josh Safran says he didn't see the series wrapping up this way.
"I didn’t see it coming, being relegated to Saturday. We’re all aware the show is not successful, but I guess I had hoped we would see what happened when ‘The Voice’ came back [or] maybe they’d move us to a better time slot. But I understand from the network’s point of view. We hit a number and we stuck there," he shared Friday.
Despite what appears to be a move towards cancellation, Safran wants viewers to remain tuned in for the rest of the season, even if that means tuning in Saturday nights at 9 p.m.
"I don’t want [viewers] to think they are going to be left hanging, because they won’t be. The season has a beginning, middle and an end. … [And] it just gets better and better," he told TV Line.
As widely reported, "Smash" returned for a second season with less than stellar ratings and has pulled in less than 3 million viewers an episode in recent weeks. Earlier this Spring, the season was heavily promoted with Jennifer Hudson's character highlighted in a seeming bid to draw more attention to the series.
Do you watch "Smash"?
Jennifer Hudson’s arc on the hit show Smash was short-lived, but full of excitement. After only one season, NBC has officially announced that this musical drama will be cancelled after its second season. Fans were hoping that with a powerhouse like Hudson joining the cast, Smash would have some staying power. Unfortunately for fans and viewers alike, it looks like they’ll have to say goodbye to their beloved series soon enough.
In its first season, Smash boasted an impressive lineup of stars including Debra Messing and Anjelica Houston. It also had huge success when it came to viewership ratings and critical acclaim from both media outlets and television critics alike. However, in spite of all of these successes, Season 2 proved to be too much for the musical drama as the numbers dropped significantly since last year.
The addition of Jennifer Hudson seemed like a surefire way to draw back some viewers; however her presence didn’t make nearly as big an impact as producers hoped it would. Now with cancellation looming ahead, many are wondering what went wrong and if there’s anything that could’ve been done differently by either the network or production team to save Smash from ultimately being put out of commission?
Overview Of The Show
Smash was an American musical-drama television series that aired on NBC from February 6, 2012 to May 26, 2013. The show focused on the creation of a new Broadway musical based around Marilyn Monroe and featured an ensemble cast including Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Megan Hilty, Anjelica Huston and Jennifer Hudson.
The show received critical acclaim for its bold approach to depicting the drama behind putting together a Broadway production but struggled with low ratings throughout its two-season run. Despite various attempts by the creative team to increase viewership – such as introducing Hudson’s character at the start of season 2 – it failed to gain enough traction and was ultimately canceled in May 2018.
Despite Smash’s short life span, many fans cite it as one of their favorite shows due to its unique premise and stellar performances by all involved. It remains an important part of pop culture history and will be remembered fondly by those who experienced it firsthand.
Reasons For Cancellation
The cancellation of Smash was a surprise for many fans, especially those who had been looking forward to the introduction of Jennifer Hudson’s character. There were multiple factors that played into its eventual demise.
One factor was poor ratings; while an initial spike in viewership occurred after season 1 premiered, it quickly waned and never recovered. This lack of viewers meant advertisers weren’t interested in investing in the show, leading NBC to pull the plug on it despite their best efforts. Additionally, there was also stiff competition from other shows airing at the same time which made it difficult for Smash to stand out and gain traction with audiences.
Finally, some critics felt that Smash wasn’t as bold or daring as it could have been when compared to similar titles like Glee or Scandal. It may be argued that this lackluster approach failed to capture audiences’ attention and kept them away from the show altogether. Ultimately, these issues culminated in the series being canceled even with Jennifer Hudson’s arc coming into play.
Conclusion
It’s truly unfortunate that ‘Smash’ is ending, especially with the addition of Jennifer Hudson. The show had potential to be great and it was a rare gem in television for its unique premise and characters. Unfortunately, factors such as low ratings and budget issues caused its demise.
I think it’s important to recognize all the hard work put into this show by everyone involved. It isn’t easy creating something from nothing, but these talented people gave us their best efforts. They deserve credit for trying to make something special out of an idea that could have easily failed.
We can only hope that other shows will learn from ‘Smash’ and understand what works and doesn’t work when making a TV series. Sadly, there won’t be another season of ‘Smash’ on our screens, but we can always look back fondly at the good times we had watching it while hoping for better things in the future.