Smash-NBC

Man, has there ever been a network more in need of a hit than NBC?

After a truly terrible 2011 – capped off by flops including Free Agents, The Playboy Club and Prime Suspect – the Peacock network has started 2012 in similarly sorry shape.

The Firm is already a ratings disaster – last week scoring just 3.42 million viewers and a pitiful 0.9 18-49 share – while new comedy Are You There, Chelsea, saw its numbers slide to just 4.21 million in week 2.

NBC desperately needs a hit and it seems like EVERYONE is pinning their hopes on the upcoming Smash – launching Monday 6th February – to be the network’s saving grace.

In case you haven’t heard the hype surrounding Smash, and let’s be honest those adverts have been everywhere, the show centers on the behind the scenes dramas of an upcoming Marilyn Monroe musical. American Idol runner up Katherine McPhee is the budding young star, Angelica Huston is the producer, Will And Grace’s Debra Messing is the lyricist and the whole shebang is produced by the guys behind Hairspray. It is indeed the gayest show ever!

But can one show really turn a whole network around?

Probably not – and to be honest I don’t think even NBC are expecting Smash to work such miracles. But the press are already going with the above headline, potentially creating outsize expectations that may be hard to live up to. If Smash underperforms I wonder where the Peacock network goes next.

NBC has made so many hideous mistakes over the last few years – from complacency, to bad senior hires, to horrendous show ideas – you do have to wonder if they’re too far gone for resurrection, especially in a TV world that’s already proving tough for the broadcast networks. I think the network has allowed too many of its shows to settle at sub-par ratings levels instead of jettisoning them in favor of bigger hits. When I first started Remote Patrolled I talked about Chuck and how I thought NBC was making a mistake by keeping such a low rated show on the air. But now you could also add Whitney, Harry’s Law, Parenthood and pretty much the entire Thursday night comedy line-up to the list. While CBS are willing to kill a show that falls below the 10 million mark – NBC allow shows to stay on the air that rate in the 3-4 million range. I’m not sure that’s been the smartest policy!

Smash will undoubtedly benefit from its lead in, The Voice, and at the end of the day the fact that the show is apparently terrific is going to be a huge help. One of the other key problems NBC has recently faced is that their shows simply haven’t been good enough. You can’t launch a show on hype alone – as ABC discovered with Pan Am. NBC simply needs better shows. It’s not rocket science.

If The Voice and Smash can make Monday nights a success for NBC at least the network will have a decent building block to work from. The Biggest Loser is fading but in comparison with its fellow network shows it’s not NBC’s biggest problem. And Grimm is holding its own on Fridays. So then NBC can concentrate on Wednesdays and Thursdays, though they’re a long way from their Must See TV glory days. Let’s just hope they have some good follow up programming coming down the line.

But that’s for later. For now NBC just needs to launch Smash successfully. I have a feeling the network heads are going to be nervously awaiting the ratings come Tuesday 7th – their jobs could very well depend on it. If ever a network needed a Smash – NBC is it…

But what do you think? Do you think Smash will be a big hit – or a fast flop like The Playboy Club or The Firm? And will you be watching? Comment away…