NBC's Hail Mary: "The Voice" Dream Team & New Dating Series "Ready For Love"

By Nathalie Oates on March 15, 2013

As a loyal Today show watcher, I have had the luxury of seeing preview after preview (after preview) of dramas NBC is trying to make happen. And, while I cringed at the unoriginality of these subplots, they raked in poor reviews, so I’m not the only one who passed.

In short, they did not happen.

While Parks & Recreation and Community stand out as things the network is notably doing right (but, let’s be clear Amy Pohler and Joel McHale are mainly responsible), the network is desperately looking for unique, audience-grabbing talent. None of their scripted shows are making headlines. In fact, 2013’s offerings have garnered a plethora of jokes, including this review of psychological thriller, Do No Harm, that was subsequently cancelled after two episodes, proving (hopefully once and for all) that creepy double life dramas don’t captivate viewers. But at least, as a network, NBC is not in last place anymore.

Let’s start with Smash, which for a hot second was an absurd, this-would-never-happen-in-real-life gem. Starring Katherine McPhee and Debra Messing, this compelling Broadway-themed drama boasted both covers and original songs about the musical’s subject, Marilyn Monroe. However, most of show was cheesy and hard to follow. It’s premiere after last year’s super bowl was promising: 3.8 on the ratings scale. By the time the season ended in the Spring, that number was hovering a little over 2. On February 5th, Smash returned – and fizzled with half the cast cut, a strange subplot starring Jennifer Hudson? and only 4.5 million viewers (a 1.1 rating among adults under 50). “Smash” is still sloppy, over the top in a bad way and perhaps too ambitious for its own good.” says Chris Harnick, News Editor for HuffPost TV. It will probably get cancelled. Whoops.

Nick Jonas made a guest spot on Smash last season to serenade Broadway muse, Ivy (Megan Hilty). Those were the good days. Image by Patrick Harbron/NBC.

 

And Smash will soon join a circle of sad, kind-of-okay shows that have graced NBC throughout the 2012-2013 season. And let’s not forget last year’s failures:  Awake, Are You There Chelsea?, and even the much anticipated Playboy Club. Lessons: viewers don’t settle for mediocrity, stuff that doesn’t make sense, or even worse, unappealing content. The New Normal, Ryan Murphy’s rip-off of himself mixes Glee-style banter with awkward social justice commentary, and stars Real Housewife of Atlanta NeNe Leakes. It is in danger. 1600 Penn was saved for mid-season and was probably designed to capitalize on viewers’ growing interest in television about the U.S. Presidency (House of Cards, Veep, Political Animals, Scandal). Sadly, taking a comedic approach was harder to market. Book of Mormon’s Josh Gad isn’t funny. Then there’s Deception, a show with an identity problem (think blend of Downton Abbey, Scandal, and Revenge). Up All Night is on the rocks since its star, Christina Applegate, quit. Guys with Kids is likely to be cancelled. On the contrary, Matthew Perry’s charming Go On and your token fire department drama, Chicago Fire, both new, have undeniably likable pilots with steady ratings and will see next season. An accomplishment. However, Parenthood continues to be the only thing with real heart on the network.

This is why I feel bad for NBC.

But can they make a comeback?

The Voice might help. Their blind auditions are a compelling spin on American Idol and boasts a dream team of judges or “coaches.” And by “dream team,” I mean a group of people that I would seriously love to hang out with. The show returns on Monday, March 25th, with bromantic couple Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. Usher and Shakira will replace Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera respectively. Something about the way these coaches effectively judge auditions, compete with contestants on other teams, and build relationships that really – wait for it – sings.

(Check it out: The Voice Season 4 Promo How fun are they?)

Ready For Love, Eva Longoria’s new project, will be a cross between The Millionaire Matchmaker and The Bachelor, pairing three, hand-selected guys (one of them is from the Plain White T’s) with matchmakers. Originally planning to air March 31st, NBC has bumped it up to the time slot after The Voice, most likely to grab that spillover audience.

Next, Hannibal will star Hugh Dancy as a detective working on various serial killer cases for the FBI (his boss will be played by Laurence Fishburne). Dr. Hannibal Lector, secretly a killer himself, will pitch and help.

And with a few more things in store, things might look up. A few tricks up their sleeve: A sitcom by/about Cee Lo! Another one starring Jessica Simpson in the works!  Michael J. Fox’s return to television this fall! The Sing-Off is holding auditions in April and will be back later in the year (after nearly two years off the air). This is what we have to look forward to. Good luck, NBC.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format