NBC's Smash is finally debuting after months of hype; let us never speak of it again

By Emily St. James  |  February 6, 2012 | 6:00am
TV Features TV

Here’s what’s up in the world of TV for Monday, Feb. 6. All times are Eastern.

TOP PICK
Smash (NBC, 10 p.m.): TV’s back for the month, and the foremost thing it wants to leave you with is the fact that you are beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can’t bring you down. Yes, it’s finally time for Smash to debut, and never has a single network had as much riding on a single show as NBC seems to have riding on this one. (Okay, that’s not strictly true, but it sure seems like if Smash flops, NBC will simply crumple up and die.) Get ready to sing and dance and be introduced to Katharine McPhee. The proper etiquette when meeting Ms. McPhee is to tip your hat and say, “M’lady.” Noel Murray and Todd VanDerWerff know this.

REGULAR COVERAGE
House (Fox, 8 p.m.): Thanks to the magic of “screeners,” Zack Handlen has already seen this somewhat Chase-centric hour, and we can tell you that his grade for it is higher than an F, but lower than an A. We hope that really narrows it down for you.

How I Met Your Mother (CBS, 8 p.m.): In tonight’s episode, Barney romances a “wacky divorcee.” No, really. That’s what the plot summary says. Donna Bowman cringes every time a sitcom tries to apply the adjective “wacky” to anyone.

Misfits (Hulu, 8 p.m.): The third series winds to a close with the show’s second Christmas special. That said, the plot summary for this finale doesn’t sound very Christmas-y to us at all. Rowan Kaiser will only watch if there are dancing snowmen.

The Voice (NBC, 8 p.m.): The first season of The Voice gave us many things, from rotating chairs to a surprisingly well-rated debut season. But mostly, it just gave us “Moves Like Jagger.” Emily Yoshida says we can all kill it swiftly and mercilessly.

2 Broke Girls (CBS, 8:30 p.m.): It sounds like Jennifer Coolidge’s mostly enjoyable crazy Eastern European lady character will be back in tonight’s episode for no good reason. Todd VanDerWerff is a sucker for watching Coolidge on a porch swing.

Alcatraz (Fox, 9 p.m.): What could possibly be more exciting than watching the former prisoners of Alcatraz resurface in present day San Francisco? Watching the former guards. Ooh. Will Harris is hoping for some red hot prison guarding action.

Being Human (SyFy, 9 p.m.): We kind of just want to quote the entire plot summary from TV Guide here, because it’s just full of awful, awful puns. Instead, we’ll hope that you seek it out and that Phil Nugent comes up with even worse puns.

RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo, 9 p.m.): We think this show is pretty fun here at TV Club, but even we were surprised at just how much all of you embraced it last week. Oliver Sava looks forward to dissecting the Drag Race with you for years to come.

Castle (ABC, 10 p.m.): Castle offers up a noir-tinged hour set in 1947, and while we know there are a million ways something like this could go wrong, we still think it looks pretty fun. Phil Nugent once starred in a noir-tinged Wheaties commercial.

WHAT ELSE IS ON?
Regular Show (Cartoon Network, 8 p.m.): We don’t have foreknowledge that this one’s particularly great or anything. We just thought we’d throw a few props to an animated show that does a lot of stuff right and is often very, very fun to watch.

America’s Money Class With Suze Orman (OWN, 9 p.m.): We just like to think Suze is wandering around America, trying to teach people how to balance their checkbooks and furrowing her brow in frustration at the lack of subtraction skills.

Two And A Half Men (CBS, 9 p.m.): You probably tuned in to see if Ashton Kutcher brought anything to the show, then tuned out the next week, like most of us did. Should you check in again? No, you’re right, probably not. But we thought we’d ask.

Underground Railroad: The William Still Story (PBS, 10 p.m.): PBS celebrates Black History Month with a new documentary about the famed abolitionist who helped hundreds of runaway slaves escape north to Canada and freedom.

Foreign Correspondent (TCM, 8 p.m.): Alfred Hitchcock directed this one, so that means you’re in for a good time, most likely, particularly when you’ve got actors like Joel McCrea, George Sanders, and Edmund Gwenn knocking around and having fun.

Let Me In (Starz, 10 p.m.): At the time, many vilified this American remake of the terrific Let The Right One In, but we think it’s a surprisingly well done companion piece, with a really strong and haunting performance from young Chloe Moretz.

College Basketball: Texas at Texas A&M (ESPN, 9 p.m.): Neither of these schools is exactly known for prowess at basketball, but it’s the doldrums of the year, and you have to take what you can get. Besides, we really enjoy seeing rivalries play out.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Saturday Night Live (Saturday): David Sims drops in for an episode that pairs Channing Tatum with Bon Iver, which is going to be the ultimate Family Guy cutaway gag for someone who needs to signify “early 2012” in 10 years time.

 
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