It was of very little surprise that 'Smash' season 2, for all its creative changes and efforts to address criticisms of the first season, was recently relegated to NBC Saturdays, presumably to air its final episodes and accept a quiet cancellation. Much of NBC's midseason lineup has continued to flounder, but what do the 'Smash' producers themselves have to say of the change? Will the upcoming finale prove to be the series-ender after all?

Sadly, a wealth of guest stars and creative changes did very little for the return of NBC's pet-project 'Smash,' whose critical quality rarely lived up to the initial hype of the series. Now, as the Broadway drama faces an imminent move to NBC Saturdays and a possible cancellation, current showrunner Josh Safran spoke to TVLine of his "surprise" that NBC pulled the plug, rather than pairing it with expected lead-in 'The Voice' for a ratings boost.

I didn’t see it coming, being relegated to Saturday. We’re all aware the show is not successful, but I guess I had hoped we would see what happened when 'The Voice' came back [or] maybe they’d move us to a better time slot. But I understand from the network’s point of view. We hit a number and we stuck there.

Indeed, the season 2 premiere of 'Smash' fell some 70% from the show's initial debut, and has largely continued to bleed viewers in the interim. It remains possible that NBC could provide the series with another chance, given the already gaping holes in their upcoming 2013 lineup, but regardless producers are prepared for the eventuality of 'Smash' not returning for a third season.

“I don’t want [viewers] to think they are going to be left hanging, because they won’t be,” Safran says of the remaining 11 episodes of the season. “The season has a beginning, middle and an end...[and] it just gets better and better."

Well, what say you? Did you give 'Smash' a second chance, or brush it off after the hotly debated inaugural season? What do you think NBC should do with its struggling schedule?

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