Is ‘Smash’ anything?

By Mad Dog
Published: Feb 21, 2012

NBC, desperate for a hit series, reportedly spent $25 million promoting ‘Smash.’ It sounded like an unpromising cross between ‘Glee’ and ‘Chorus Line,’ but the creator is top-drawer and it features Angelica Houston, so I gave it a try. Granted, I wasn’t coming in at the start of the show, but the few minutes I saw were grating in the extreme. First, in a posh restaurant, Houston threw a drink in a man’s face. I said, ‘Didn’t the Writers’ Guild outlaw that bit in the 1950s?’ My wife pointed out that I can be overly harsh on scant evidence. Then came a very lame Siegfried & Roy joke. I moaned. ‘You’re right,’ my wife said, and I changed the channel. Is ‘Smash’ really such a dud? If not, please school me.