NBC RENEWS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DRAMA "SMASH" FOR SECOND SEASON

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - March 22, 2012 - NBC has renewed its critically acclaimed musical drama "Smash" (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) for a second season, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment.

"Smash" is NBC's #1 drama in adults 18-49 and total viewers. "Smash" is up 160 percent in 18-49 versus NBC's season average in the time period prior to "Smash" (with a 2.6 rating vs. a 1.0, "live plus same day") and in total viewers, "Smash" has improved the time period by 100 percent (7.7 million vs. 3.9 million).

Among the many positive notices the series has received, USA Today wrote, "'Smash' pulls out all of the entertainment stops and succeeds... just the kind of gloriously entertaining, wildly ambitious network series you hope for each season..." The Los Angeles Times wrote, "...'Smash' is a triumph." And EW.com referred to "Smash" as "...one damn lively show with a lot of promise."

NBC's "Smash" - which debuted February 6 -- celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a "Smash." Evolving from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"), the series unites the hit-making Broadway writing team of Julia Houston (Debra Messing, Emmy winner, "Will & Grace") and Tom Levitt (Christian Borle, "Legally Blonde: The Musical") with producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston, Oscar winner, "Prizzi's Honor") to create a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, and seasoned chorus girl Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty, "9 to 5: The Musical") vies with newcomer Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee, "American Idol") for the role of a lifetime.

The cast also features Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean" films), Raza Jaffrey ("MI-5," "Sex and the City 2"), Brian d'Arcy James ("Shrek the Musical") and Jaime Cepero ("Porgy & Bess"). In addition to Spielberg, the executive producers include Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius"), David Marshall Grant ("Brothers & Sisters"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Chicago," "Hairspray"), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias") and Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"). The first three episodes were directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer.

"Smash" is a production of Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic.

For embeddable clips and full episodes from "Smash," please visit NBC.com's official show site: http://www.nbc.com/smash/.

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