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Smith
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| Fran |
Date: Sunday, 27-Feb-11, 2:20 PM | Message # 1 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Why Smith was cancelled
TV GUIDE - OCTOBER 2006
On paper, CBS' rookie drama Smith looked like a winner. Executive producer John Wells put together a powerhouse cast, with Ray Liotta and Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen. The pilot , about a group of professional high-stakes thieves and the women who love them, cost more than $8 million and had the style of a slick, fast-paced theatrical film.
But CBS yanked Smith after three weeks, making it the new season's surprising first cancellation. After premiering with 11 million viewers, Smith was down to 8.4 million by its third episode--in a week when the two shows leading into it, NCIS and The Unit, saw their audiences go up.
While network insiders say viewers may not have empathized with a group of ruthless bandits, the show's steep price tag may have hastened its studio, Warner Bros., to cut its losses quickly. Shot entirely on location, Smith cost upwards of $3 million an episode to produce.
None of that was lost on Liotta. But he believes the show's risky concept needed more time to work. "It definitely was an uphill climb to get audiences comfortable with this kind of story," he tells TV Guide. "I think they did a dis-service by not allowing this show to breathe and for people to catch on to it."
Liotta, who already has an offer for another show, says the producers have to share the blame for Smith's failure. Even the cast was in the dark about where the show's complicated serialized story was headed. "Nobody knew exactly where it was going, and that brought about confusion." he says. "And it definitely didn't bring peace of mind at the network." CBS, Warner Bros. and Wells all declined comment.
If it had been up to Liotta, the intriguing tension between his character, Bobby Stevens, and his wife, Hope (Madsen), an ex-con who believed they were leading a straight suburban life, would've been more prominent in the show's early episodes. "We were dealing with life situations that all couples go through." he says. "This just happened to be a couple who steals." |
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| JudeBlue |
Date: Thursday, 03-Mar-11, 8:44 AM | Message # 2 |
 Cobber
Messages: 112
Status: Offline |
It is such a shame the way the American Networks dump a programme if it isn't an immediate hit. I'd have watched just to see Simon as Jeff. Hubba hubba hubba.  |
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| Fran |
Date: Thursday, 03-Mar-11, 1:19 PM | Message # 3 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
I can't help but feel that the show would have been more successful if Jeff and Tom had been the central characters - they were brilliant together. And personally I wasn't so keen on the Ray Liotta story - maybe I'm biased  Simon's comments at the Samsung event were interesting though - about the production being more like a film than a tv show and that maybe home entertainment technology wasn't ready for it at the time. |
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| JudeBlue |
Date: Thursday, 03-Mar-11, 5:07 PM | Message # 4 |
Cobber
Messages: 112
Status: Offline |
I've only seen YouTube clips so can't really make any intelligent comments other than to wonder
why you would gather a big name talented cast and spend $8 million on the Pilot and then not stick
with it for a while at least? Still, if it had been a success we might not have seen Simon as Jane and it is my opinion that
Simon has helped create an iconic character that he can be eternally proud of. |
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| Nat |
Date: Wednesday, 31-Aug-11, 1:42 PM | Message # 5 |
 Blow-In
Messages: 9
Status: Offline |
i think jeff was a great character and i can't help thinkin' it would have worked better without Liotta (who WAS a great actor but looked as a mummy in "Smith", botox made another victim...) |
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| scouse |
Date: Thursday, 19-Apr-12, 7:44 PM | Message # 6 |
 Ankle Biter
Messages: 20
Status: Offline |
Help please
Does anyone know the tune Jeff is whistling in the scene where he shoots the 2 guys on the beach? |
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| Fran |
Date: Tuesday, 03-Jul-12, 0:21 AM | Message # 7 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Several posts moved here http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/forum/2-105-1 due to content. And thread renamed to clarify topic. |
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| fangs4fun |
Date: Tuesday, 10-Jul-12, 1:23 AM | Message # 8 |
Jillaroo
Messages: 51
Status: Offline |
Hi! First post here. I am new to the Simon Baker love.
As for Smith, I agree with those who commented that probable reasons for low viewership - Ray Liotta's freaky face. I cringe everytime I see his face on screen. I fast forward. I understand he is an amazing actor, but you can't have an actor with a face no one wants to look at.
I also believe that the Jeff and Tom characters were much more interesting. The banter was great and there was interesting chemistry between Jeff, Tom and Annie. I've seen the unaired episodes and I thought the show got better because these 3 got more scenes. I especially love the episode where Tom was helping Jeff fight the big Hawaiian dude.
I like how Tom really seemed to be the keeper of Jeff. Jeff just has no impulse control. I wanted to find out more about their history because Jeff's dad knows Tom and trusts him enough to protect Jeff.
Jeff is such a bad bad sexy boy. Scruffy Simon Baker on a bike is just too sexy for words. |
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| Thrill |
Date: Tuesday, 10-Jul-12, 12:04 PM | Message # 9 |
 Dinkie-Di
Messages: 210
Status: Offline |
Quote (fangs4fun) Scruffy Simon Baker on a bike is just too sexy for words.
Phew - yeh! I think that it is the fact there is the "Bad boy" side of simon as well as the lovely, funny, kind, thoughtful, charming, engaging, smily, fun, athletic (shall I go on) that makes him so appealing.....
As PJ said to Grace "you need a bit of bitch inside the nice and nice inside the bitch" - in SB case replace with "bad boy" !!!  |
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| fangs4fun |
Date: Tuesday, 10-Jul-12, 4:52 PM | Message # 10 |
Jillaroo
Messages: 51
Status: Offline |
Quote (Thrill) As PJ said to Grace "you need a bit of bitch inside the nice and nice inside the bitch" - in SB case replace with "bad boy" !!! cool
I love that PJ quote.
SB is good at playing all kinds of characters. Jeff is a sociopath, obviously. But SB made him likeable. |
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| ruuger |
Date: Sunday, 25-May-14, 10:16 PM | Message # 11 |
Cobber
Messages: 134
Status: Offline |
While googling for something else, I just came across this short interview from 2006 where Simon talks about his character on Smith:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/tv....f-g-not
I hadn't read it before, and I couldn't find it in the Articles & Interviews section, so I thought I'd share it in case it was new to someone else as well.
Excerpt:
“Smith’s” Simon Baker on being a likable sociopath: ‘You’re either interested, or you’re f—g not.’
The CBS Stars Party took place in the Rose Bowl, or as I referred to it earlier on Saturday, when outside temperatures had reached broiling levels, God’s Wok.
................
What I did like, however, was “Smith’s” pilot, particularly because it had Simon “Hot, Hot, Hottie McHotterson” Baker in it.
To ensure that the evening had a point, I cornered Baker for a 10 minute conversation, not only because he’s lovely to gaze upon, but because he shifted uncomfortably in his chair throughout most of “Smith’s” panel, which reporters turned into a long, prickly discussion about likability. Had to ask him about that.
Discussing the likability of a character can be a dangerous game because the definition is a little weird and gray these days. What, exactly, are the qualifications for persuading viewers to like a character? We like Tony Soprano, and he’s a philandering murderer. Vic Mackey’s OK to root for on “The Shield,” and don’t even get me started with his list of problems.
Yet many guys had problems envisioning audiences getting into Baker’s Jeff, a handsome, athletic fellow who will put a bullet in your skull if you look at him wrong. In fact, that’s how we first meet Jeff in “Smith’s” pilot. A couple of tough guys threaten the surfer boy, and his response is to calmly walk to his car, pull out his rifle, mount a scope, and sent them off to that great luau in the clouds. A fantastic, cinematic scene, and one that touched off several mild but unmistakably apoplectic fits during the session.
Back to the party, where a friend and I cornered Baker, who looked less than enthusiastic about chatting at first. Then it registered in his brain that he was looking at two women who probably paid full price to see “Something New” at the theater — trust me, not many people did — and he proceeded to charm us for more than 10 minutes of friendly, funny conversation.
The highlight was when the topic turned to the debate concerning Jeff’s you-know-what. I mean his “likability,” of course. (What did you think I meant?) The fuse was lit.
“What was that about? Who was asking that, someone from the fundamentalist Christian right?” he said with a smirk. “We’re not trying to save the world here, we’re just making an entertaining TV show. I don’t know if you could tell, but I was getting quite annoyed with all of that.”
Let’s see — tense adjustment of eyeglasses, stiffened torso, pouty mouth — yeah, we could tell. “Contrary to whoever it was that was concerned about it, I think my character is likable. I also think my character is a good guy. I just think he’s a f—-g nutcase.”
By the way, although Baker knew I worked for a newspaper, he had no problem f-bombing with abandon. For instance, here’s his take on being burglarized, something that’s happened to him a few times. “You just feel violated. Even with the smallest things, you feel like, f–k, someone came through and went through my s–t and stole that?! F—k!”
Baker was a bit more delicate when I asked him if he drew upon any caper films to build his character. “No, but I like the genre. When it’s done well, I like it. When it isn’t done well, it sucks. Just like anything else, I guess… When it’s done well, you can see all facets of the character.
“And that, kind of, was sort of something I wanted to say today. People were just polarized. If it’s done well, you’re looking at the nuances of the character — not, ‘Is he good,’ or ‘Is he bad.’ How do you articulate that in five words or less? It’s humanity. You’re either interested or you’re f—g not.”
That’s nine, but we’ll take ‘em. |
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| Mossibecca |
Date: Sunday, 25-May-14, 10:33 PM | Message # 12 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 540
Status: Offline |
Thanks for this Ruuger, I've not seen it before...Poor Simon, being grilled on the likeability of a fictional character...how can you defend your portrayal of a character that is totally fiction and invented by someone else!! I always liked Jeff (maybe that says something about me) He is what he is.....good in parts and bad (or evil, depending on your take on such things) But Simon's portrayal, was great, he had you feeling for the guy even though as he says....he was a nutcase! |
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| Fran |
Date: Wednesday, 28-May-14, 0:27 AM | Message # 13 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Thanks Ruuger  . I've pasted in the relevant part of the article so we don't lose it if the link goes. |
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| redbird |
Date: Friday, 05-Sep-14, 4:34 PM | Message # 14 |
Dinkie-Di
Messages: 152
Status: Offline |
I loved Simon's character in Smith. He was just so totally amoral - but with a smile that you couldn't help but love. Hey, they say that women really do love bad boys!! And the character of Jeff was a really good bad boy. I thought that the best part of Smith was the capers that they pulled but the next best part was the interaction between Tommy and Jeff. They took care of each other - Tommy helping Jeff save at least some of his ill gotten gains and Jeff trying to prevent Tommy from being harmed by Annie again. Unfortunately, the show spent way too much time focusing on the relationship between Ray Liotta and Virginia Marsden. I'm sorry but they were just totally boring which made the show seem slow and uninteresting so I do understand why CBS cancelled the show. |
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| June |
Date: Sunday, 28-Sep-14, 6:33 PM | Message # 15 |
 Bee's Knees
Messages: 585
Status: Offline |
(It comes from a comment about Smith started in calendar 2014 thread)
The first season of Smith had 12 episodes. After it was cancelled, Warner made available for some time, not anymore, the synopsis of the 5 episodes left on iTunes Store, AOL and Amazon. I read them years ago but if somebody doesn't know how the series ended or what happened with Jeff, here is a link that I've found talking about that.
http://www.aoltv.com/2006/11/28/how-smith-would-have-ended/ |
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