After a stunning premiere episode, and a couple good ones that followed, the series has taken a dive as it's become ever more wrapped up in lame and awkward soap opera plot points that only detract from the theme. The casting is excellent: McPhee (Karen) and Hilty (Ivy) have a genuine rivalry and oodles of singing talent, you can feel a genuine backstory to Messing (Julia) and Borle (Tom)'s songwriting relationship, and Jack Davenport (Derek) is delicious as the egomaniacal director. Even other, less central cast members are well selected: the grinch you love to hate Ellis, Karen's love interest Jaffray (Dev), and of course Angelica Huston all fit like a glove.
So why is the show going downhill? Cheap writing, unrealistic plot developments, and everything is toooooo fast. Remember "Cheers"? Sam & Diane had a sexual tension for five *years* before getting together. On "West Wing" it was Josh and Donna tussling for seven. Here, by episode four, Julia has wrecked her marriage, it takes Ellis mere weeks to climb from "house sitter" to "almost co-producer", and only a month or two to get from one song to a full workshop, and soon to Boston with a new leading lady. Whiplash, anyone?
The writing is often just silly: Julia starts making out on the street in front of her own house with a paramour? The bartender keeps a basketball size stack of cash right under the bar, not even in a lockbox? Dev can't bring himself to tell his live-in that he didn't get a promotion, so he's going to split with her? This is the very definition of ham-fisted plot development.
More? Karen gets a lucky break when a mogul sees her at a bar-mitzvah, records a great demo, nothing is ever heard of it again. OK, it was an excuse to watch her sing, but that's it? Dropped plot point much? Ivy freaks out at Karen. Wait! Now Karen & Ivy are singing together in Times Square! Wait! Ivy is a bitch again! Wait! Now they're having drinks at the bar! We like Julia. No, we hate Julia! Oh wait, Julia's remorseful, we like her again. No wait ...
The music - or most of it, at least - is excellent. McPhee and Hilty each bring something very different to the table. Hilty is a bit "big" for the small screen, but then McPhee would likely be a bit "small" for the Broadway stage, so neither is "just perfect" but both are great here. The songs are catchy, memorable, and there have been (with only one or two exceptions) no attempt to jam Glee- ish material into corners where it doesn't not comfortably fit. And no, nobody thinks Wittman and Shaiman should be producing four original songs per episode, although by some reports they could.
No, the series has gotten sidetracked into a cheesy soap opera world of secondary characters we don't really care that much about, and has lost credibility (and viewership) along the way. One hopes that with a new showrunner in Season Two there can be a reboot, that it can transcend the mistakes of the first season, that it can be a big (*a lot, actually) smarter, but the steady and continuing ratings decline presage a difficult restart next season. I'm hoping for a bit turnaround, and it can't happen fast enough for me, because I began the season with such high hopes.
So why is the show going downhill? Cheap writing, unrealistic plot developments, and everything is toooooo fast. Remember "Cheers"? Sam & Diane had a sexual tension for five *years* before getting together. On "West Wing" it was Josh and Donna tussling for seven. Here, by episode four, Julia has wrecked her marriage, it takes Ellis mere weeks to climb from "house sitter" to "almost co-producer", and only a month or two to get from one song to a full workshop, and soon to Boston with a new leading lady. Whiplash, anyone?
The writing is often just silly: Julia starts making out on the street in front of her own house with a paramour? The bartender keeps a basketball size stack of cash right under the bar, not even in a lockbox? Dev can't bring himself to tell his live-in that he didn't get a promotion, so he's going to split with her? This is the very definition of ham-fisted plot development.
More? Karen gets a lucky break when a mogul sees her at a bar-mitzvah, records a great demo, nothing is ever heard of it again. OK, it was an excuse to watch her sing, but that's it? Dropped plot point much? Ivy freaks out at Karen. Wait! Now Karen & Ivy are singing together in Times Square! Wait! Ivy is a bitch again! Wait! Now they're having drinks at the bar! We like Julia. No, we hate Julia! Oh wait, Julia's remorseful, we like her again. No wait ...
The music - or most of it, at least - is excellent. McPhee and Hilty each bring something very different to the table. Hilty is a bit "big" for the small screen, but then McPhee would likely be a bit "small" for the Broadway stage, so neither is "just perfect" but both are great here. The songs are catchy, memorable, and there have been (with only one or two exceptions) no attempt to jam Glee- ish material into corners where it doesn't not comfortably fit. And no, nobody thinks Wittman and Shaiman should be producing four original songs per episode, although by some reports they could.
No, the series has gotten sidetracked into a cheesy soap opera world of secondary characters we don't really care that much about, and has lost credibility (and viewership) along the way. One hopes that with a new showrunner in Season Two there can be a reboot, that it can transcend the mistakes of the first season, that it can be a big (*a lot, actually) smarter, but the steady and continuing ratings decline presage a difficult restart next season. I'm hoping for a bit turnaround, and it can't happen fast enough for me, because I began the season with such high hopes.