Smash Archives - TV Breakroom

Community News: October 19th is February 7th, Show to Return to its Old 8PM Thursday Slot

NBC has finally revealed when Community will return – February 7! What I hate about this announcement is that the show will be going back to competing directly with ratings juggernaut The Big Bang Theory in the Thursdays at 8 time slot, as well as American Idol and the CW’s highest-rated drama, The Vampire Diaries.

The Thursday night comedy lineup for NBC will then be: Community, Parks and Rec, The Office, and new show 1600 Penn (30 Rock will have ended and Up All Night will be on hiatus). No word on when midseason comedy Save Me will make an appearance.

Other midseason NBC news:

New drama Deception (formerly Infamous) will take Revolution’s plum Mondays at 10 slot in January while the futuristic drama goes on hiatus. It will air after The Biggest Loser (Revolution and The Voice will return in late March).

Smash will start its second season on Tuesday, February 5th at 10 after Parenthood wraps up its season in January. This move actually makes me more likely to watch the show, as I usually don’t have any broadcast shows to watch in that time slot. I liked some things about the show during its first season, but hated others. The music, however, kept me watching.

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‘Revolution’ Gets Full-Season — ‘Go On’ and ‘New Normal’ Picked By NBC – TVLine

NBC has given three of its freshman shows a full season pick-up (which usually involves expanding their initial 13-episode order to a full 22): Revolution, Go On, and The New Normal. Revolution and Go On are the network’s highest-rated scripted shows so far this season (out of all their scripted shows, not just new ones), while The New Normal has ridden Go On’s coattails for ratings on par with The Office’s current (and final) season.

I’ve sampled all three shows, but Go On is the only one I’m still watching (Revolution’s pilot was interesting enough for me to give the show another chance by watching the second episode, but The New Normal’s pilot was so awful I barely finished it).

The news doesn’t bode well for NBC’s other new comedies, Animal Practice and Guys With Kids – I’m watching both still, but I wouldn’t really mind if either are canceled. NBC has 3 comedies officially on tap for midseason – Save Me, 1600 Penn, and Next Caller, plus the likely Dwight-from-The-Office spinoff The Farm. With 30 Rock, Up All Night, and Community all only having 13-episode renewals, only one out of the 5 (these three, plus Animal Practice and Guys with Kids) will likely get nine more episodes. I’m REALLY hoping that show is Community. I’m also hoping Community will switch places and get one of the Wednesday slots before it comes back. (If so, I think it should be paired with fellow single-camera comedy Animal Practice, while both multi-camera shows – Guys With Kids and Whitney – air on Friday.)

As far as dramas go, with not really liking Revolution, the only current NBC drama I watch is Grimm. For midseason, I’m still not sure if I’ll return to Smash, and the new dramas set to debut then don’t really interest me.

‘Revolution’ Gets Full-Season — ‘Go On’ and ‘New Normal’ Picked By NBC – TVLine.

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TV Olympics: Favorite Musical Episode

This musical episode mini-poll is one of my favorites in this event, so it’s awesome that it coincides with the Olympic opening ceremonies! As I mentioned in the nominating post, this option is limited to episodes from shows that aren’t all musical episodes (like Glee or Smash). It’s not that I don’t like their episodes, it’s just that the poll would end up being far too long for this mini-poll event.

And as always, if I missed a great musical episode, please feel free to nominate it in the comments! As usual, live-action scripted shows only, please. Also, having only one or two songs doesn’t make an episode a musical, but feel free to nominate individual songs for the cast-performed songs category!

I almost wish this poll happened later, as Psych is doing a two-hour musical episode that is sure to be amazing! Also, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog gets an honorable mention, but as a stand-alone episode it doesn’t qualify for this event.

Poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to three episodes. Be sure to check out all our ongoing polls at the main event page!

Which is your favorite musical episode? (Choose up to 3!)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Once More With Feeling (33%, 61 Votes)
Scrubs - My Musical (20%, 36 Votes)
Grey's Anatomy - Song Beneath the Song (15%, 27 Votes)
Community - Regional Holiday Music (10%, 18 Votes)
That 70s Show - That 70s Musical (8%, 15 Votes)
Community - Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (8%, 14 Votes)
Xena: Warrior Princess - The Bitter Suite (4%, 8 Votes)
Xena: Warrior Princess - Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire (3%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 100

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Monday Madness: Favorite TV Accents

This Monday Madness, we’re looking at (listening to?) awesome accents on TV! Some are real, some are pretend, but all help define the character who speaks them. Whether the accent is straight-laced British, sultry Spanish, or down-home Southern, and whether the character reinforces or subverts the accent’s stereotypes, these accents add flair and texture to their shows.

Special note: I’m choosing to feature accents that stand out in a show – aka the majority of characters in the show don’t have similar accents. Otherwise, accents from shows set in Great Britain, the southern US, India, etc. would make this poll extremely long.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite accents. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10! Fans have used Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, forums, Reddit, blogs, and chatboxes to get the word out about past polls. Get creative!

Even though there are 30-some options on this list, I know there are TV characters with great accents I left out! You can nominate ones I missed in the comments until Thursday night, and I may add them to the poll (from live-action scripted shows only, please, and the accents should differ from the majority of the cast).

Want more of a say in who makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter or like TV Breakroom on Facebook, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll. Please help out with nominations! There are only so many shows I can watch personally, so I’m counting on you to fill me in!

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM July 16th.

Which character has your favorite accent? (Choose up to 10!)

Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane) - Leverage (12%, 123 Votes)
Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman) - Leverage (10%, 108 Votes)
Spike (James Marsters) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7%, 71 Votes)
Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (6%, 63 Votes)
Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) - NCIS (5%, 56 Votes)
Ducky (David McCallum) - NCIS (5%, 53 Votes)
Wesley Wyndham-Price (Alexis Denisof) - Angel (5%, 50 Votes)
Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer) - House (4%, 39 Votes)
Drusilla (Juliet Landau) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (3%, 36 Votes)
Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) - The Mentalist (3%, 34 Votes)
Vincent Nigel-Murray (Ryan Cartwright) - Bones (3%, 34 Votes)
Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) - The Big Bang Theory (3%, 32 Votes)
Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar) - Burn Notice (3%, 31 Votes)
Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) - Once Upon a Time (3%, 28 Votes)
Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) - True Blood (2%, 26 Votes)
Fred Burkle (Amy Acker) - Angel (2%, 25 Votes)
Caroline Julian (Patricia Belcher) - Bones (2%, 24 Votes)
Rory Flanagan (Damian McGinty) - Glee (2%, 24 Votes)
Divya Katdare (Reshma Shetty) - Royal Pains (2%, 23 Votes)
Crowley, Sterling, Valda, Badger, Ring Director, more (Mark Sheppard) - Supernatural, Leverage, Warehouse 13, Firefly, Chuck, others (2%, 18 Votes)
Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) - M*A*S*H (2%, 16 Votes)
Finn Abernathy (Luke Kleintank) - Bones (1%, 15 Votes)
Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) - Modern Family (1%, 15 Votes)
Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) - Stargate SG-1 (1%, 15 Votes)
H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray) - Warehouse 13 (1%, 13 Votes)
Louis LeBeau (Robert Clary) - Hogan's Heroes (1%, 12 Votes)
Peter Newkirk (Richard Dawson) - Hogan's Heroes (1%, 12 Votes)
Jim Taggart (Matt Frewer) - Eureka (1%, 11 Votes)
Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams) - Dollhouse (1%, 11 Votes)
Derek (Jack Davenport) - Smash (1%, 10 Votes)
Andrew Martin (Ioan Gruffudd) - Ringer (1%, 8 Votes)
Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) - Monk (1%, 6 Votes)
Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo) - CSI:NY (1%, 6 Votes)
Dallas Royce (Cheryl Hines) - Suburgatory (1%, 6 Votes)
Sayid Jarrah (Naveen Andrews) - Lost (0%, 5 Votes)
Olaf (Jonathan Kite) - 2 Broke Girls (0%, 4 Votes)
Han (Matthew Moy) - 2 Broke Girls (0%, 2 Votes)
Dev (Raza Jaffrey) - Smash (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 244

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What I Will Be Watching in Fall 2012 – ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW

Now that all of the broadcast networks have revealed their fall schedules, as well as trailers or clips of new shows, it’s time to look at what I will be watching live, what I’ll have to catch online, and how many annoying half hour and hour “dead zones” I’ll have between good shows.

TVLine was nice enough to compile a grid chart of what’s airing when, which you can view at the link below (it will open in a new tab so you can follow along):

Fall TV Schedule Grid 2012-13 — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW – TVLine.

Thanks to 666 Park Street’s too-much-horror bent, Once Upon a Time remains my only show for Sundays, though if my Sunday evenings stay busy, I’ll be watching online anyway.

Monday has a lot of dead zones. Since I don’t get HD Fox coverage in my area (which makes the picture 2/3 of its normal size), I’ll watch Bones on Hulu and How I Met Your Mother live. But since I’m likely giving up 2 Broke Girls (since it’s become the ladies’ version of Two and a Half Men instead of a smart, funny comedy), I don’t have anything else I plan to watch until Castle at 10. Revolution looks good, but like Smash (which will be back in midseason), I’ll only watch it live if Castle is a repeat or ABC won’t come in.

Tuesday’s first two hours are packed for me. I’ll probably watch NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles live when I can, because if I have to watch a show online I prefer Hulu to CBS’s video player. But if they’re on repeats or I’m in the mood for comedy, I have choices: Ben & Kate on Fox at 8:30, New Girl on Fox or Go On on NBC at 9, and The Mindy Project on Fox (maybe) or Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23 at 9:30. Nothing on at 10 that interests me, though I might watch the pilot of Vegas out of curiosity.

Wednesday just has two shows I plan to watch, and of course they conflict – Arrow at 8 and Suburgatory at 8:30. I might try out Animal Practice (at 8) if I’m watching Suburgatory live.

Even with Community’s move, Thursdays remain my busiest night. At 8, I have to choose between The Big Bang Theory and a half hour dead zone, or ABC’s Last Resort. At 9, Person of Interest and CW’s Beauty and the Beast will probably push The Office to online-only. My only conflict-free hour will be at 10, with CBS’s Elementary.

Friday, I will probably watch Community and Grimm (NBC, 8:30 and 9) live, and catch Nikita online.

All told, that’s 22-26 shows every week, out of which up to 12 are 1/2 hour comedies. Up to 20 hours total every week for broadcast shows, if I like all the new shows I’m trying out. Seems like a lot, but I guess not really for someone who runs a TV site. 🙂

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NBC Fall TV Schedule 2012 — Community to Friday – TVLine

NBC has unveiled its schedule for Fall 2012, and the most notable change is Community’s move to Fridays at 8:30. While Fridays are usually where shows go to die, quite a number of shows (usually niche genres) thrive there for years. While Community has a terrible lead-in (Whitney), at least it’s being put with Grimm, which has thrived in its Friday slot.

And with much less competition (no behemoth American Idol or The Big Bang Theory ratings to strive against), Community might do well enough for a back nine order and/or season 5 renewal. I’m not too unhappy since this means probably the only two shows I’ll watch live on NBC will be back to back.

Unfortunately, most of NBC’s schedule looks like a mess. Two new comedies I’m interested in watching (Go On, and to a lesser extent Animal Practice) are paired with comedies I plan to avoid at all costs (The New Normal, Guys With Kids). Thursday night’s all-veteran comedy lineup means I’ll probably just catch The Office online, and if Castle stays in the same slot, I’ll do the same with the new Revolution (which NBC does show a lot of faith in by putting after The Voice and holding Smash off till midseason).

Also on hold until midseason: Next Caller, 1600 Penn, Save Me, Do No Harm, Infamous, and Hannibal. But you can still get a sneak peak at many of these shows at the link below!

NBC Fall TV Schedule 2012 — Community to Friday – TVLine.

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Broadcast Freshmen Grading – How Did I Do With 2011-2012’s New Shows?

Aside from a few midseason debuts and several likely-canceled shows, ABC, CBS, the CW, Fox, and NBC have all made their decisions about which new shows are returning, and which aren’t. How did I do at picking which shows to watch this year?

ABC

Canceled: Charlie’s Angels, GCB, Man Up, Missing, Pan Am, The River, Work It

Renewed: Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Last Man Standing, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Scandal, Suburgatory

I tried out Missing but wasn’t hooked. I fell in love with Once Upon a Time and Suburgatory, and my feelings for the B—- are a little mixed, but generally positive. I would have tried Revenge if I had time, and I planned to preview Scandal but was deterred by less-than-stellar reviews.

I give myself an A+ for ABC.

CBS

Canceled: A Gifted Man, How to Be a Gentleman, NYC 22, Rob, Unforgettable

Renewed: 2 Broke Girls, Person of Interest

I watched How to Be a Gentleman since it was the only 1/2 hour show in an empty timeslot. I disliked both Rob and Unforgettable, giving up on episode 2 for both after allowing the pilot a little leeway. I watched 2 Broke Girls and Person of Interest from the start, and liked both (though 2 Broke Girls has degraded some over the year).

I give myself an A+ for CBS.

The CW

Canceled: Ringer, The Secret Circle

Renewed: Hart of Dixie

I only watched Ringer, which I wanted to love more than I did. Sarah Michelle Gellar and the unexpected yumminess of Ioan Gruffudd kept me watching through a rough start, but I’m glad I saw the whole thing through till the end. I watched the Hart of Dixie pilot, but medicial + the South wasn’t my cup of tea.

I give myself a C- for the CW.

Fox

Canceled: Alcatraz, The Finder, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Terra Nova

Renewed: New Girl, Touch

I watched two new Fox shows, The Finder and New Girl. Didn’t even try the others. New Girl took a bit to grow on me, but I loved The Finder from the start, and am glad I watched it.

I give myself a C+ for Fox.

NBC

Canceled: Are You There, Chelsea?, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever, Free Agents, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, The Firm

Renewed: Grimm, Smash, Up All Night, Whitney

NBC canceled 8 new shows (of which I watched 3), and renewed 4 (of which I watched 2). I didn’t watch a single episode of the other 7. Grimm and Smash deserved the renewal for being fresh and catchy, something that Awake’s excellent but dour presentation could have used. Cop shows seem to work best with a bit of lightheartedness thrown in, a fact that Grimm realized by bringing in Monroe more. Awake’s twin tragedies prevented all but a slight wry sense of humor. The conspiracy behind Awake’s two realities could have counterbalanced that, but the show’s creators seemed to be saving most of that for future seasons, which ironically prevented future seasons by not hooking viewers. Bent and Free Agents were under-promoted and misrepresented, which almost caused me to miss out on them – how much more a casual TV viewer?

I give myself a C for NBC.

What new shows did you watch this year?

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Monday Madness: Favorite New Show

This week on Monday Madness, it’s time to vote for your favorite new TV shows! This poll is for all live-action scripted shows that aired their first US episode between June 1, 2011 and April 30, 2012, and includes both broadcast and cable shows.

This poll will be open for one week, and you can choose up to 10 of your favorite new shows. Be sure to spread the word so your favorites will make it into the top 10!

Even though there are 50 options on this list, I know there are some shows I left out (I think there are only a few canceled shows or lesser-known cable shows left out this week)! As always, you can cast write-in ballots (for new live-action scripted shows only please) by leaving a comment. Want more of a say in what makes it onto the poll each week? Be sure to follow me on Twitter, since I usually ask for nominations for the next Monday Madness the weekend before the new poll.

Next week’s poll will focus on favorite season and series finales. Please nominate your favorite finales by leaving a comment! In your comment, be sure to note the show, season, episode title, and not-too-spoilery descriptive phrase (think of what a promo for that episode would say). For example: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2, “Becoming, Part Two.” Aided by an unlikely ally, Buffy must face Angel to save the world.

Without further ado, here’s the poll for this week’s Monday Madness! Voting ends around 1AM May 7th.

UPDATE: This poll has closed. You can view the top ten list here.

This poll sponsored by Nannerbug Designs. Contact me if you would like to sponsor next week’s poll!

What's your favorite new show? (Choose up to 10!)

Once Upon a Time (10%, 168 Votes)
Person of Interest (9%, 144 Votes)
Grimm (9%, 144 Votes)
The Finder (7%, 111 Votes)
Bent (5%, 78 Votes)
New Girl (4%, 70 Votes)
Alphas (3%, 55 Votes)
2 Broke Girls (3%, 48 Votes)
Falling Skies (3%, 48 Votes)
Revenge (2%, 41 Votes)
Suburgatory (2%, 40 Votes)
Alcatraz (2%, 39 Votes)
GCB (2%, 39 Votes)
Touch (2%, 38 Votes)
Awake (2%, 36 Votes)
The Secret Circle (2%, 36 Votes)
Terra Nova (2%, 35 Votes)
Smash (2%, 34 Votes)
Ringer (2%, 33 Votes)
Hart of Dixie (2%, 33 Votes)
Scandal (2%, 32 Votes)
Suits (2%, 30 Votes)
American Horror Story (2%, 29 Votes)
Last Man Standing (2%, 26 Votes)
Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (1%, 25 Votes)
Franklin & Bash (1%, 25 Votes)
Switched at Birth (1%, 23 Votes)
Homeland (1%, 21 Votes)
Pan Am (1%, 21 Votes)
Unforgettable (1%, 19 Votes)
Up All Night (1%, 18 Votes)
Necessary Roughness (1%, 17 Votes)
Missing (1%, 17 Votes)
A Gifted Man (1%, 16 Votes)
The River (1%, 16 Votes)
Spartacus: Vengence (1%, 13 Votes)
Whitney (1%, 12 Votes)
Prime Suspect (1%, 9 Votes)
NYC 22 (0%, 8 Votes)
House of Lies (0%, 8 Votes)
Are You There, Chelsea? (0%, 8 Votes)
The Firm (0%, 7 Votes)
Best Friends Forever (0%, 7 Votes)
I Hate My Teenage Daughter (0%, 6 Votes)
Rob (0%, 2 Votes)
Boss (0%, 2 Votes)
Charlie's Angels (0%, 2 Votes)
How to Be a Gentleman (0%, 1 Votes)
Free Agents (0%, 1 Votes)
Man Up (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 568

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Season Finale Spoilers and Dates — 2102 – TVLine

Want to know how this season is ending, for just about every scripted broadcast show? Then check out this slideshow! Dates, rumors, extended episodes, and guest stars are all revealed below!

Season Finale Spoilers and Dates — 2102 – TVLine.

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‘Smash’ Renewed for a Second Season by NBC – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

The renewal isn’t a surprise, given that Smash is NBC’s best-rated drama. Still, I’m glad that it’s coming back! The music and the drama make it a fun watch.

‘Smash’ Renewed for a Second Season by NBC – Ratings | TVbytheNumbers.

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Grimm Renewed For Season 2 — NBC

By watching the ratings, I was pretty sure this show would get renewed, but it’s nice to see the early pickup. With Chuck ending this year, the only other veteran shows I watched on NBC were Community and The Office. Now there’s Grimm, Smash, and Awake. In fact, NBC was the only channel I watched last night!

Grimm Renewed For Season 2 — NBC.

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Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on Smash, Castle, Once, Bones, Big Bang Theory, Secret Circle and More – TVLine

Lots of quick little tidbits about upcoming episodes, not long enough for their own articles, but fun to read nonetheless – Beckett’s secret on Castle, whether Belle will be back on Once Upon a Time, and more!

Matt’s Inside Line: Scoop on Smash, Castle, Once, Bones, Big Bang Theory, Secret Circle and More – TVLine.

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NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Smash, Good Wife, White Collar — Inside Line Spoilers

All sorts of spoilers and scoop! First off, go vote for who you think should be Jimmy Palmer’s best man (and NCIS, for a wedding present, can’t you make him a series regular?). There’s intel on OUaT’s Stranger, info on whether Sara will be back for season four of White Collar, and details on what’s ahead for Karen and Dev on Smash.

NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Smash, Good Wife, White Collar — Inside Line Spoilers.

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The Office: James Spader Leaving

So glad Robert California is leaving; I hated his character. Maybe his ex-wife will take his place? Or the actor I really wanted out of all the guest spots – Jim Carrey?

People are clamoring for The Office’s demise, but unless Smash stabilizes soon, the long-running comedy will still be NBC’s highest-rated scripted show. And with such a large ensemble cast, quite a few of the main characters would have to leave before the show itself was in danger.

The Office: James Spader Leaving.

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NBC’s Awake: Watch the Premiere Here and Now! – TVLine

Just finished watching Awake’s premiere and loved it! Very interesting psychologically – and both realities have a washed-out look that adds a surreal touch to the show. I loved how the crimes intersected in strange ways. I’ve been anticipating this show for the better part of a year, and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint!

The 2011-2012 TV season has certainly been one for online premieres. From Fox’s New Girl to NBC’s own Grimm and Smash, shows offering a sneak peek at the first episode seem to be doing pretty well ratings-wise. While people (like me) who watch a premiere online before it airs might not tune into the TV premiere, the word of mouth the show garners in return seems worth it.

However, an online premiere alone doesn’t make a show a guaranteed success. Bad buzz spreads just as fast (or faster) than good buzz.

NBC’s Awake: Watch the Premiere Here and Now! – TVLine.

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