Glee vs. Smash

  It's the Oscars, and honestly I'm just really sad it is not the Tony's! (The Tony's is my Superbowl, if you change the channel during the Tony's I may cry.) So what is better way to mourn the lack of Tony's then talk about television's musical dramas?
    There are two musical dramas on TV right now, or at least two that I can think of off the top my head.  One is set in high school, the other on Broadway. One is a huge sellout with absolutely no continuity, while the other is a new show with dismal ratings, that honestly hasn't found its niche yet. The former is Glee, the latter is Smash. They have completely different stories on different networks, but last year when SMASH premiered Gleeks screamed their auto-tune protests at NBC. Most claimed that SMASH was a copycat of their beloved show and that Glee was higher quality.Well, let me tell you this right now, Glee fans are beyond wrong.
    Glee, which I've written about before, is just an awful excuse of a television show. It has no continuity or character development. Smash, on the other hand, actually tells a continuous story, there are actual story arcs, and writers know how to utilize cliff hangers.  Sure, the show has obvious flaws, like bland characters, but all its flaws are masked by its strengths.

Source

    Smash premiered last season on NBC with one of the best pilots I've ever seen! The show is a behind the scenes look at the making of a Broadway musical, specifically a Broadway musical about the late and great Marilyn Monroe.

     Tom Levitt (Christian Borle) and Julia Houston (Debra Messing) are writing partners who have just begun to work on a musical based on the life of superstar, Marilyn Monroe. They are soon approached by the struggling producer, Eileen Rand (Anjelica Houston), who wants to produce a workshop. They agree and reluctantly hire British director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport). However, when casting begins the creative team must decide between their two "Marilyn" front runners  the "Green" Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) and the experienced Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty). 

   This show is all about theater, and it is dominated by theatre actors. Megan Hilty (Wicked, ( 9 to 5), Christian Borle (Spamalot, Legally Blonde: The Musical), Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), Andy Mientus (Spring Awakening), Wes Taylor, Savannah Wise, Leslie Odom Jr, and Ann Harada to name a few! This show's cast is an Broadway geek's dream, plus all the theatre jokes! (Trust me its hysterical!) But beyond the amazingly talented cast, what makes this show so good? Or at least better than Glee? These are the top three reasons.

1. It doesn't have too many main characters. Sure, it has an ensemble cast, but guess what? That ensemble is an ensemble! They interject witty one liners and carry the musical numbers like the talented Broadway actors they are. Smash doesn't have over fifteen main characters and screen time is split fairly equally, unlike Glee, where half the hour is dedicated to one very unlikable character, Rachel Berry. 
2. The Music on Smash is predominately original.

Every single song on this album is original. Glee's claim to fame in the field of a original songs is a song called, "My Headband." (I mean there are four others, but they all have the same beat, plus the lyrics are to pitiful to mention.)

This is music on Glee. It is literally that pitiful. Smash at least attempts make quality music.



See? They try and do really well typically!!

3. Story Arcs and Character Development! There are distinct stories in this show and they continue past one episode. (Progress). The principal stories of Smash are:

•  Who will play Marilyn Monroe?
• Will Julia continue her affair?
• Will Eileen be able to fund the show?
• Will Derek Wills be able to finish the blocking before previews?
• How will be the understudy?

Just to name a few.

- Also, Ivy Lynn and Karen Cartwright definitely change from the premiere to the finale. Ivy is quite standoffish at first, but over the season she becomes more humble; and Karen Cartwright becomes more experienced and begins to understand the competitive aspect of Broadway. It's an interesting transformation! (And engrossing.)

So, in conclusion, this is a completely biased review by a Broadway deprived fangirl. But I do think that Smash is a good show that needs your viewership this Tuesday at 10 PM. So consider it, it's honestly a good show. A little confused maybe, but full potential. 

Man, I wish it was the Tony's.