The first season received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography among four nominations. The series, especially the pilot episode, enjoyed critical success.

Second-season executive producer-show runner Josh Safran said the final episode of Season 2 worked as a series finale. The series was cancelled on May 10, 2013. NBC announced a change in their lineup in March 2013 and moved the show to Saturdays starting April 6, 2013.

Its second season premiered on February 5, 2013, and ended on May 26, 2013. The show debuted on February 6, 2012, and its first season ended on May 14, 2012. It features a large ensemble cast, led by Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, and Anjelica Huston. The series revolves around a fictional New York City theater community and specifically the creation of a new Broadway musical. The series was broadcast in the US by NBC and produced by DreamWorks Television and Universal Television. Steven Spielberg served as one of the executive producers. Smash is an American musical drama television series created by playwright Theresa Rebeck and developed by Robert Greenblatt for NBC.