Megan Hilty as Ivy in "Smash"
I miss watercooler shows. Not that I was old enough – or even alive enough – to analyse the contemporary reactions to Dallas or Twin Peaks or Seinfeld (three of my favourite shows, incidentally, so perhaps I’m a lot more mainstream than I thought), but it’s been ten years since a scripted series topped the Nielsen ratings for a season, and it’s clear that no series will ever be able to capture such a broad cross-section of the public again, in an era full of cable series, DVDs, and internet recaps (and self-defeating TV schedules). Sure, shows like Lost or Grey’s Anatomy tap into a certain part of the cultural zeitgeist (and some, like Game of Thrones, manage to win over a good chunk of non-genre fans), but they still tend to find a particular niche of fans, and then run with it.
Not that Smash is going to reverse this trend. It’s a rag-to-riches musical set in the pansexual world of show-business, in which straight men, gay men, and women alike all idolise Marilyn Monroe, and baseball is just an excuse for a musical number. We may live in a post-Glee world now, but this still isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I was prepared to hate Smash, on the basis of previous TV musicals - Glee, Cop Rock, the entirely forgotten Hull High - and my general confusion at the popularity of mainstream musical theatre. Instead, I’m enjoying a number of elements, although I have that sinking feeling that the elements I’m taking to aren’t the ones we’ll be seeing a lot of…
