History YMMV / Smash

** All of these however can't hold a candle to [[JerkAss Jimmy]] [[ItsAllAboutMe Collins]]. A talented composer yes, but his attitude and constant whining and demands, who treats his friends like dirt. Even after the many times he gets called out, and half-assedly apologizes, it can be well assumed that he has [[AesopAmnesia conveniently forgotten the lesson by the next episode]]. Only Ellis can claim to be more hated than him, and [[HateSink Ellis was outright intended to be hated]], where as it's clear the audience is meant to applaud Jimmy's [[SmallNameBigEgo unearned]] [[TheDiva Divaish personality]]. Many fans blame him for being the final nail in the coffin that eventually led to the show's cancellation.

** This is actually TruthInTelevision - it's practically a requirement for ensemble members (especially in big shows) to be able to "move as one" with their choreography...which essentially means none of them should pull the focus of the audience away from the main action or the star since they'll be the most important thing for the audience to be paying attention to; the ensemble is just there to enhance whatever else is going on. This is also why Ivy initially struggles with being the star, she's spent 10 years deliberately keeping to the background. Ultimately, it's more a case of DeliberateValuesDissonance.
* WthCastingAgency: In-universe example, A co-star of Ivy in Dangerous Liasons tells her casting Terrence Falls as Valmont is like casting Jim Carrey as King Lear, when he shows up it’s pretty clear how absolutely right she is.
** A real-life example was the casting of Katherine [=McPhee=] as the rival to Megan Hilty. While people were in no doubt that [=McPhee=] could sing, the notion that her pop-y vocals would ever seriously pose a threat to a genuine Broadway veteran in a Broadway show was nonsensical to a lot of people, to the point where Season 2 was praised in large part for having Karen leave ''Bombshell'' to work on the more pop-styled ''Hit List''.

* DesignatedHero: As Television Without Pity put it, "It's kind of remarkable that the writers ever thought audiences would find...Jimmy Collins appealing. What exactly were we meant to like about this guy? His pathological self-absorption? His casual disregard for the bonds of friendship? His generally lousy attitude? The funny thing is that Jeremy Jordan shows that he has what it takes to be a hissable screen villain. Too bad he's supposed to be a hero."

** To be fair, it is mentioned that because Ivy has been in the ensemble for so long, she's having difficulty standing out when given the chance. Karen, due to being a NaiveNewcomer, has difficulty blending because if she wants to make it big, she ''has'' to stand out.

* FoeYay: Karen and Ivy display quite a bit of this. Karen can often be seen staring longingly at Ivy, looked hurt when she learned that Ivy and Derek were sleeping together, and recently became so caught up in Ivy's music that she practically fainted in the middle of a workshop. Ivy's obsession with Karen only grows stronger after final casting; she even sees Karen in her mirror at one point. A ''Wicked'' duo is inevitably in their future.
** Derek and Tom tend to bicker {{like an old married couple}}.
* HarsherInHindsight: A lot of Derek's behavior towards Karen and Ivy, while already seen as sleazy when it came out, comes off even worse post-#[=MeToo=], since many Broadway actresses have since talked about facing sexual harassment from directors, producers, and other higher-ups, not dissimilar to what Derek does to his leading ladies.

** The scene from the pilot where Derek invites Karen to his apartment, ''alone'', at 10:30 at night, asking her to prove she can be sexy to get the part, is a particularly strong example. But because Karen treats it as an opportunity, stops short of kissing Derek, and is able to leave before things got too far, it wasn't seen as a MoralEventHorizon (though it did cause problems between Karen and Dev). Years later, the fact that Derek even put Karen in that position is much more troubling.

** When the show came out, many couldn't believe pop singer Katherine [=McPhee=] as a Broadway actress. She has since starred on Broadway as a replacement Jenna in ''Theatre/Waitress''.

** [[Creator/LeslieOdomJr Sam Strickland]] has gone on to tremendous success as Aaron Burr in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', among other things.

** [[Creator/LeslieOdomJr Sam Strickland]] has gone on to tremendous success as Aaron Burr in ''Theatre/Hamilton'', among other things.

** When the show came out, many couldn't believe pop singer Katherine McPhee as a Broadway actress. She has since starred on Broadway as a replacement Jenna in ''Theatre/Waitress''.

* HilariousInHindsight: Season 1 the song "Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking", performed by Daryl Zanuck (as played by Tom in the rehearsal), features the line "Let's find a role for Nat King Cole". Come season 2, Tom attempts to get his ex Sam a role in ''Bombshell'' as Nat King Cole. [[spoiler: Doubles as HarsherInHindsight because Tom's decision to put the song in the show is vetoed by both Eileen and Julia, and he ultimately decides to not put the song in. ]]

* HarsherInHindsight: A lot of Derek's behavior towards Karen and Ivy, while already seen as sleazy when it came out, comes off even worse post-#MeToo, since many Broadway actresses have since talked about facing sexual harassment from directors, producers, and other higher-ups, not dissimilar to what Derek does to his leading ladies.

* HarsherInHindsight: A lot of Derek's behavior towards Karen and Ivy, while already seen as sleazy when it came out, comes off even worse post-MeToo, since many Broadway actresses have since talked about facing sexual harassment from directors, producers, and other higher-ups, not dissimilar to what Derek does to his leading ladies.
** The scene from the pilot where Derek invites Karen to his apartment, ''alone'', at 10:30 at night, asking her to prove she can be sexy, is a particularly strong example. But because Karen treats it as an opportunity, stops short of kissing Derek, and quickly leaves before things got too far, it wasn't seen as a MoralEventHorizon (though it did cause problems between Karen and Dev). Years later, the fact that Derek even put Karen in that position is much more troubling.

* HarsherInHindsight: The scene from the pilot where Derek invites Karen to his apartment alone at 10:30 at night, asking her to prove she can be sexy, was already risqué when it came out. But because Karen treats it as an opportunity and quickly said no and left before things got too far, it wasn't seen as a MoralEventHorizon. Years later, in the wake of the Me Too movement and the confessions of sexual harassment from Broadway actresses, the fact that Derek even put Karen in that position is much more troubling.