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‘Smash’ Creator Theresa Rebeck To Depart

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday March 22, 2012 @ 5:09pm PDTTags: NBC, Smash, Theresa Rebeck
Nellie Andreeva

Theresa Rebeck SmashEXCLUSIVE: Smash, which was just renewed for a second season, will return next fall without its creator/executive producer/showrunner Theresa Rebeck. I’ve learned that Rebeck is stepping down as showrunner of the musical drama after its maiden season. Details about her future involvement with Smash are still being worked out. Rebeck will keep her executive producer title and may write scripts but will not be involved in the day-to-day running of series, returning to her theater career. Word is NBC will bring in a new showrunner for Season 2. It is unclear how that would affect writing executive producer David Marshall Grant, who joined the series after the pilot.

Related: NBC’s ‘Smash’ Renewed For Second Season

While the pilot of Smash was universally praised, there have been some qualms about the creative direction of the series — chronicling the creation of a Marilyn Monroe Broadway musical — which became increasingly soapy. Additionally, Smash, which started off big and broad, sometimes meandered into niche territory by focusing too much on the insider Broadway stuff over the human drama of the two singers, played by Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee, battling it out for the role of their career. Rebeck, a playwright in addition to being a screenwriter, will have a continuing presence on Smash — the female lead on the show, Julia (Debra Messing), half of a successful Broadway writing team, was based on her.

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David Marshall Grant Joins ‘Smash’ As EP

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday May 16, 2011 @ 7:23pm PDTTags: Executive Producer, NBC, Smash, Theresa Rebeck
Nellie Andreeva

Brothers and Sisters showrunner David Marshall Grant has joined NBC’s new drama series Smash as an executive producer. He will help creator/executive producer Theresa Rebeck, a playwright and screenwriter. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner,” Rebeck said. Based … Read More »

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Jack Davenport To Co-Star In NBC’s ‘Smash’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday February 12, 2011 @ 8:13pm PSTTags: ABC Revenge, Debra Messing, Debra Messing Smash, Michael Mayer, NBC Smash, Revenge Casting, Revenge Pilot, Smash Casting, Steven Spielberg, Theresa Rebeck, TV, TV Deals
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: I hear FlashForward alum Jack Davenport will co-star opposite Debra Messing in the NBC hourlong pilot Smash, which was based on an idea by Steven Spielberg. The pilot, from DreamWorks TV and UMS, follows a cross section of characters who … Read More »

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Debra Messing To Topline NBC Pilot ‘Smash’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday February 7, 2011 @ 11:30am PSTTags: Debra Messing, Debra Messing Smash, DreamWorks TV, NBC, NBC Pilots, Smash Casting, Steven Spielberg, Theresa Rebeck, TV, TV Deals, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

Former Will & Grace star Debra Messing is returning to NBC as the female lead of  another series project set in New York where the male lead is a gay man.

Messing is finalizing a deal to star in NBC’s hourlong … Read More »

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