Robert Greenblatt Discusses Upcoming "Smash" Season; Jennifer Hudson Will Appear in First Few Episodes

By Michael Gioia
24 Jul 2012

Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Photo by Nathan Beckner

Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, who will be seen in a multi-episode arc on the upcoming season of NBC's "Smash," will appear in three of the first four episodes of the second season, according to TVLine.com.

NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt and president of entertainment Jennifer Salke appeared at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour July 24 in Beverly Hills, where they sounded off on the upcoming season of "Smash."

"There are some great new storylines," said Greenblatt, who confirmed that the show's second season is currently in production with new showrunner Josh Safran ("Gossip Girl").

Salke added that "[Safran's] vision for the season… was so specific, you were on the edge of your seat. It just felt like there's a real plan in place, and things are coming together in a way that feels more consistent."

As previously reported, Safran succeeds Theresa Rebeck (Seminar) as showrunner — the person in charge of all aspects of the story — for the new season. The season will also feature the addition of Hudson, as a Broadway diva, and Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), as a Brooklyn-born singer.

The characters of Ellis (Jaime Cepero), Dev (Raza Jaffrey), Michael Swift (Will Chase) and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) will not return to "Smash," and Greenblatt explained, "It's a big soap with a number of characters [and] at the end of the season, relationships end."

Before "Smash" returns to NBC, read Playbill.com's weekly recap of the series, The "Smash" Report, beginning with the show's Season One finale.