According to my wife (who is/was a fan), Smash isn't working this season because the whole "who will play Marilyn" arc is more or less over and all that's left is typical relationship soap opera show stuff. Sounds like it would have been better as a limited series or a show like American Horror Story where they follow a different cast of characters each season.
Smash wasn't working last season either. At least with the Marilyn thing there was a hook. But, it was awful television then, and the new team didn't save it--which, personally, would require dropping some of the "names" from the cast... I'm looking at you, McPhee--a truly awful actress. The badness of Smash was baked in last season. There is no changing it. NBC wasted there resources bringing it back. It was about ego. That's the only reason it came back.
Yes Smash was a flop last year, and it's worse this year. At least Parenthood will get a 5th season. Do No Harm = 2.2 mil/0.7 That's CW levels.
You may or may not be right. I don't watch it. But the impression I got from her was at least last season was campy fun and this season isn't.
There were some unintentional camp elements last year... and I would argue they are still there... One of the main characters suddenly is in a "Would I Lie To You" musical number. I thought I was having a stroke. It was... words fail.
NBC shows are so bad that even stars of them ditch! Christina Applegate quits Up All Night reboot! http://tvline.com/2013/02/08/christina-applegate-quits-up-all-night/
Smash wasn't working last season because it pitted Katharine McPhee, who does not have the presence or talent to headline a Broadway show (or a TV show, buh-bye) against Megan Hilty, who already IS a Broadway star. It was glaringly obvious Hilty was the only sane choice yet the conceit of the story is that the audience was supposed to be equally impressed by both (since the Broadway producers/directors/writers in the story apparently couldn't see the difference, which in turn made them look incompetent). Also, Uma Thurman was beyond awful, just unwatchable. The writing on that show wasn't great but it was the casting decisions that sunk it. Starring McPhee and Thurman! Hey maybe it could be a female remake of The Producers. So wretched, it becomes a hit comedy. All About Eve as a musical, with both ladies camping it up ferociously? EDIT: before I got distracted being reminded of how much I hate Smash, there was a reason I came back to this thread. Do No Harm has been euthanized.
It will be interesting if they replace it with Hannibal, starring Caroline Dhavernas, who was also in last year's failed pilot Over/Under with Steven Pasquale. Okay, maybe just interesting to me.
I still think the Thursday night death slot is still better than a summer release for Hannibal. Plus doesn't TIVO +3 days count some more towards ratings? So a Thursday show plus three is the weekend.
Wait, so it's subbing Do No Harm with repeats of Law and Order SVU? Wouldn't this be the perfect time to rerun Revolution's first season leading up to the new episode? That would make too much sense to NBC probably.
The ads for this show make it look very terrible. Maybe this premise could make a good movie, but a good series? The actor just seems like a guy who suddenly makes threatening facial gestures occasionally. Edit: Based on it's cancellation, a lot of people feel the same way as me. Seriously, the ads make it look comically bad. Really, two episodes? Even worse shows manage to last six episodes.
Lone Star I think lasted three. If it were any other channel besides NBC it would have been cancelled last week.
Am I the only person who enjoyed it? It was light entertainment. At least it wasn't a reality show grrr. I am sad to see it go.
While Law & Order had some issues with declining ratings, I thought that the show sold really well in reruns (which, IIRC, was why ABC kept Scrubs going past its expiration date). And since Lupo & Cutter were both really kicking ass, I think the show could have easily jettisoned the more expensive characters like Van Buren & McCoy. I think Van Buren was going to leave anyway. And while the show had had its ups & downs, I think it was enough of an institution to deserve more time. I guess I'm just sad because, every time I see something in the news, I get really excited for a moment about seeing what Law & Order will do with it. Then I remember the show was cancelled. I keep hoping that NBC will eventually realize how evergreen the format is and bring it back. Hey, it happened to Family Guy & Futurama & Red Dwarf. I can dream, can't I? That's a shame. While I didn't watch the show much, I really liked the parts of it that I saw. I don't get why they think switching the show from single to multi-camera will make any positive difference. (It didn't for Watching Ellie.) Man, Will Arnett is just TV kryptonite, isn't he? Running Wilde & Sit Down Shut Up both got canned after less than a whole season. Even his most successful series, Arrested Development, was a show that's most famous for being a cult darling that inexplicably made it to 3 seasons despite the fact that no one watched it. He's becoming like Andre Braugher or Eric Balfour.
Er, Haven is heading into its fourth season . . . . That's not exactly a flop. Heck, it's longer than the original Star Trek lasted.
Up All Night should die... Although writing around Christina's departure will be exciting and hilarious if done right. Are they going to kill her off or have Regan caught in an affair and then away abandoning the child? Or witness a murder and then forced into witness protection relocation? The show is called up all night. They could just have that she is sleeping form being "up all night" whenever Arnette is on camera. Flat out recasting is awful. What if she is taken by a UFO? That was hilarious on Soap!