Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn
Send questions and comments to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow me on Twitter!
Question: Along with Parenthood, The Good Wife is in my opinion still one of the best dramas on network TV. And the mock trial episode was, as you recently noted, the best so far of the season. However, I have recently been feeling that this show has been lacking, not necessarily in quality (with the exception of the whole Kalinda's husband debacle), but in freshness. For me the show has been very stagnant. A case here, a little Will/Alicia flirtation there, mixed in with Peter's campaign and/or Eli's troubles. Every week is pretty much the same thing with a different guest star. Nothing seems to be new or fresh. What's most frustrating about the lack of freshness is how easily they could remedy that. I would be extremely interested in watching what Cary proposed unfold, for he and Alicia to form their own firm. Watching Cary and Alicia go head to head with Will and Diane would be a welcome change to the same old same old.
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Jack Davenport, Debra Messing
Things have taken quite a turn for esteemed Broadway director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) on NBC's Smash (Tuesdays at 10/9c). Last season, he was behind one of the most of the buzzed-about upcoming musicals on Broadway while also romantically involved with his leading lady, Ivy (Megan Hilty). Unfortunately for poor Ivy, he even enjoyed a brief affair with Hollywood royalty, and Marilyn replacement, Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman).
Cut to one season later and Derek has already lost one job, a remake of The Wiz with Tony winner Ronnie Moore (Jennifer Hudson), his other gig, Bombshell, has been stalled for weeks, and he's been accused of sexual harassment by several stage actresses. Oh, and did we mention that he and Ivy are dunzo? "They almost do a role reversal at one point where she's completely in control and he's almost a little puppy dog for her," Hilty told TVGuide.com last month. "It's a...
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Katharine McPhee and Jeremy Jordan
A Broadway actor with leading man charisma, great pipes, impressive dance moves and a Tony nomination under his belt? Jeremy Jordan sounds like the perfect fit for NBC's musical, Smash. However, he admits he had his doubts about joining the drama.
"At first I thought the fact that I can sing in...
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Katharine McPhee and Jeremy Jordan
Fox's The Following and NBC's Smash are both serving up sexy love triangles — with a bisexual bent.
In last night's fourth episode of The Following, the kidnappers — Billy/Paul (Adan Canto), Will/Jacob (Nico Tortorella) and Denise/Emma (Valorie Curry) — had...
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Katharine McPhee
A new showrunner! New cast members! No more Ellis! There has been hoopla surrounding the many changes made to Smash for months and on Tuesday, the lovers, and hate-watchers, finally got a peek behind the curtain at just what Smash 2.0 really is. So is it really a better show? Or is this tune still slightly off key? We weigh in on the musical drama's 10 biggest changes (so far)...
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Katharine McPhee, Jeremy Jordan
Someone should make a musical about the remaking of Smash between its first and second seasons. Let's call it Phantom of the Rewrite.
Or maybe The (New) Producers, seeing how NBC replaced the original creator/showrunner in hopes of calming this elaborate backstage drama's own behind-the-scenes creative turmoil, which manifested on screen in turgid and oft-ridiculed soap opera between the splashy production numbers (which are still mostly terrific). Smash 2.0 (Tuesday, 9/8c) wastes no time addressing, while slyly commenting on, the show's problem spots, many involving Debra Messing's character, insecure lyricist-librettist Julia Houston. Her dull husband, cloddish son and needy lover? History. Her hideous scarves? Mocked. Also soon to be gone. Along with reviled characters like the scheming, lurking Ellis and Karen's cheating ex, Dev.
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Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee
All eyes are on Smash as the NBC musical drama prepares to unveil its second season on Tuesday (9/8c on NBC). But it's not because fans are dying to know whether Ivy (Megan Hilty) survived her possible pill overdose or if Karen (Katharine McPhee) ditched her cheating boyfriend — it's because fans are waiting to see just how much the Smash they loved, and more famously loved to hate, has changed its tune.
Premiering on NBC a year ago with impressive critical acclaim and almost inescapable advertising, Smash follows the creation of Bombshell, a new Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, and the characters involved behind the scenes. Over the first season, ingénues Karen and Ivy tried to out-diva each other for the main role while juggling messy love lives, lyricist Julia (Debra Messing) cheated on...
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Last Resort
Send questions and comments to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow me on Twitter!
Question: While I'm not happy Last Resort was canceled, I would like to thank ABC and the producers for allowing this show to have an actual ending, with [SPOILER ALERT] Marcus showing his love for his country and sub by dying to make sure the Chinese didn't get it. Like you said in one of your daily reviews, any ending is better than a cliffhanger. I was satisfied with the ending. — Foster
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Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Segel, Elizabeth Mitchell
Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com or tweet them to @adam_bryant or @NatalieAbrams
Will anything surprise us about the upcoming episodes of Once Upon a Time? — Megan
NATALIE: We know that the flashbacks lead to Regina enacting the curse, but coming trips to the past may surprise you. "We're going to show you some things in our world that you didn't even think were an option," executive producer Edward Kitsis says. Will we see flashbacks to other lands — say, Oz? Kitsis remains coy. "[They'll] center on our characters, but in surprising ways."
I loved the flash-forward of Marshall becoming a judge on How I Met Your Mother. When will he be sworn in? —David
ADAM: Like basically everything else on this show, that day is "a little way down the road." Lily, on the other hand, might be considering a career switch...
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Katharine McPhee
Bad news, Smash fans. You may not have seen the last of Broadway's most annoying assistant just yet.
"Ellis is still alive," executive producer Neil Meron told reporters with a laugh at NBC's winter TV previews Sunday. "How could we forget Ellis?"
Much to the contrary, the much-maligned character is just one...
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