NBC cancels ‘Smash’ and ‘The New Normal’
“Smash” just got smushed.
As expected, NBC officially axed its Broadway drama late Friday after two seasons of high expectations but low ratings.
NBC also confirmed that it won’t bring back the sitcom “The New Normal.”
RELATED: ‘Smash’ ratings are a disappointment in its return
“Smash” was a personal favorite of NBC entertainment boss Bob Greenblatt - whose interest extended even to production design decisions, according to insiders - but never managed to connect with a wide audience. Greenblatt had started developing the show during his earlier post running Showtime.
The fate of “Smash” was all but sealed last month, when NBC announced it was moving the series to the dead zone of Saturday nights.
“The New Normal,” co-created by Ryan Murphy of “Glee” fame, got attention for its premise of two gay men deciding to have a baby through a surrogate. But the pilot drew fewer than 7 million viewers and ratings amounted to less than half that as the season progressed, according to Nielsen.
ALSO:
NBC cancels Matthew Perry’s ‘Go On’
NBC order ‘Ironside’ remake, ‘Chicago Fire’ spinoff
NBC renews ‘Community,’ picks up James Spader’s ‘Blacklist’
Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT
More to Read
The complete guide to home viewing
Get Screen Gab for everything about the TV shows and streaming movies everyone’s talking about.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.