All the retooling was for naught, it seems.
"Smash," the critically derided show that maintained a baseline decent audience last spring (composed of so-called hate-watchers), isn't even fun to hate anymore: Only 4.5 million viewers tuned in to last night's second-season premiere, with a teensy 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
The series was heavily promoted during last year's Super Bowl and began its life as a promising collaboration between new NBC president Robert Greenblatt and director Steven Spielberg. Show creator and playwright Theresa Rebeck departed last year after a power struggle with the network; new showrunner Joshua Safran (late of "Gossip Girl") gave the season premiere a more professional, less haphazard sheen.
NBC, which spent fall in recovery, buoyed by football, "The Voice" and new hit "Revolution" -- none of which is currently on the air -- can only hope that "The Voice" can work its magic on the schedule when it returns.
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