The Worst Episodes of Smash
Every episode of Smash ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Smash!
A songwriting duo tries to create a hit with a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "Smash" is "Enter Mr. DiMaggio", rated 7.2/10 from 244 user votes. It was directed by Michael Mayer and written by Theresa Rebeck. "Enter Mr. DiMaggio" aired on 2/20/2012 and is rated 0.0 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "The Read-Through".
7.2/10 244 votes#1 - Enter Mr. DiMaggio
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 2/20/2012
The search begins for a Joe DiMaggio to play opposite Marilyn - but everyone's first choice, Michael, has a secret. Karen returns to Iowa for a baby shower and must decide what she wants for her future. Eileen begins rounding up investors - but ex-husband Jerry may already have poisoned the well.
Director: Michael Mayer
Writer: Theresa Rebeck
7.2/10 124 votes#2 - The Read-Through
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 3/5/2013
Julia's fears increase when Tom airs his suspicions of Peter. Jimmy and Kyle confront their own crisis of confidence as "Hit List" is read for the first time. Meanwhile, Ivy realizes her triumph might not be all she hoped when she meets her new co-star, Terry Falls, and Karen wonders if she can trust Jimmy.
Director: David Petrarca
Writer: Liz Tuccillo
7.3/10 209 votes#3 - The Coup
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/26/2012
The team deals with the workshop's after-effects; Derek asks Karen to help him steal the show from Tom and Julia; Eileen's daughter's surprise visit forces her to deal with her ex-husband.
Director: Paris Barclay
Writer: Theresa Rebeck
7.4/10 211 votes#4 - Chemistry
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 3/12/2012
Ivy faces major vocal issues, while Julia struggles to avoid Michael. Meanwhile, Karen books a side gig at a bar mitzvah.
Director: Daniel Attias
Writer: Jacquelyn Reingold
7.4/10 180 votes#5 - The Movie Star
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 4/16/2012
The arrival of a movie star turns ``Bombshell'' upside-down; Ivy and Karen try to overcome their history and unite against their new rival; Tom and Sam's romance heats up.
Director: Tricia Brock
Writer: Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky
7.4/10 120 votes#6 - The Fringe
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 3/12/2013
Derek and Karen reach a turning point, so one of them makes a tough decision. Meanwhile, problems emerge in Jerry and Eileen's partnership; complications arise at the "Hit List" debut at the Fringe Festival; and Ivy attempts to save her and Terry's show.
Director: Dan Lerner
Writer: Liz Tuccillo
7.5/10 283 votes#7 - The Callback
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 2/13/2012
Ivy and Karen jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia and her husband Frank, are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce.
Director: Michael Mayer
Writer: Theresa Rebeck
7.5/10 217 votes#8 - Let's Be Bad
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 3/5/2012
Karen finds a new use for her acting talents as she joins Dev at a high-powered government party. The drama between Michael and Julia heats up, as Eileen and Tom's ambitious assistant Ellis forge an alliance. Ivy senses trouble in her relationship with Derek.
Director: Jamie Babbit
Writer: Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky
7.5/10 177 votes#9 - Tech
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 4/30/2012
Ivy worries as Derek grows closer to Rebecca and Karen has to choose between Dev and the show. Ellen and Julia fight over Michael's possible return and Sam brings Tom to a family dinner.
Director: Roxann Dawson
Writer: Lakshmi Sundaram, Jason Grote
7.5/10 138 votes#10 - The Dramaturg
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 2/19/2013
Eileen introduces Tom and Julia to a new writing partner in order to fix Bombshell's script; Karen confers with Derek about Jimmy and Kyle's musical that they are working on; Derek tries to get reinstated as the director for "The Wiz" remake with Veronica Moore.
Director: Larry Shaw
Writer: Bryan Goluboff
7.6/10 194 votes#11 - Hell On Earth
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 4/2/2012
Julia and Tom must find a title for the recently reinvigorated musical; Ivy and Karen compete for an orange juice commercial; Frank makes a discovery.
Director: Paul McGuigan
Writer: Scott Burkhardt
7.6/10 175 votes#12 - Previews
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 5/7/2012
"Bombshell" faces its first audience just as a major crisis hits Rebecca Duvall. The team of Tom and Julia scramble to fix the show when the first preview falls short, and Frank must adjust to the unwelcome return of Michael Swift to his life. Dev seeks reconciliation with Karen, but explosive information about Ivy lurks just beneath the surface.
Director: Robert Duncan McNeill
Writer: David Marshall Grant
7.6/10 153 votes#13 - The Fallout
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 2/5/2013
The creative team behind Bombshell attempt to repair their reputations and mount the show following legal allegations about the source of financing for the show by Eileen Rand and sexual harassment charges levelled at director Derek Wills by several women. Bombshell star Karen Cartwright encounters resistance when she tries to aid new composing team Jimmy Collins and Kyle Bishop working on their first musical.
Director: Craig Zisk
Writer: Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky
7.6/10 137 votes#14 - The Song
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 2/26/2013
Derek calls in help for a special event, but Jimmy's pride might get in the way of a huge opportunity Karen orchestrates for him and Kyle. Peter challenges Julia's pride as they continue to work together. Meanwhile, Ronnie struggles to assert her independence from a powerful mother, as Eileen finds herself at a moral crossroads with huge ramifications for "Bombshell."
Director: Michael Morris
Writer: Bathsheba Doran
7.7/10 200 votes#15 - Understudy
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 4/9/2012
When the show's new star gets stuck in Cuba, Derek puts Karen in as understudy; Tom and Julia celebrate their anniversary.
Director: Adam Bernstein
Writer: Jerome Hairston
7.7/10 130 votes#16 - Musical Chairs
Season 2 Episode 7 - Aired 3/19/2013
New circumstances give rise to conflicts as Karen, Tom, Julia and Derek adjust to their new surroundings. Tensions at "Liaisons" are also coming to a boil, ensuring that the show will find its place in Broadway history. Meanwhile, Eileen may have found the key to saving "Bombshell" with the help of her daughter, Katie.
Director: Casey Nicholaw
Writer: Becky Mode
7.7/10 119 votes#17 - The Bells and Whistles
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 3/26/2013
When Ivy brings Sam back to town, Tom finds himself in an awkward situation. Jimmy and Derek clash over their vision for "Hit List," while both Ana and Karen struggle to stand up for what they want.
Director: Craig Zisk
Writer: Noelle Valdivia
7.7/10 118 votes#18 - The Parents
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 4/2/2013
After Leigh Conroy joins the cast of "Bombshell," Tom finds himself struggling to diffuse the years of tension between her and Ivy. Jimmy and Karen's connection is threatened by both Ana's newfound success and an unexpected visitor. Derek learns more about Jimmy's past just as the public sees their first piece of "Hit List."
Director: Tricia Brock
Writer: Jordon Nardino
7.7/10 117 votes#19 - The Surprise Party
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 4/6/2013
With Liza Minnelli in town, Tom plans a surprise for Ivy in an attempt to find a balance between their work life and their friendship. Relations between Karen, Jimmy, and Derek explode just as Hit List's rehearsal process nears its close. While Richard asks Eileen to spend less time at work and more time with him, Julia finds herself also pulled away from Bombshell by an unlikely source.
Director: S.J. Clarkson
Writer: Julie Rottenberg, Elisa Zuritsky
7.8/10 198 votes#20 - Publicity
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 4/23/2012
Karen finds herself seduced by the glamorous life of new BFF Rebecca Duvall -- but can Rebecca be trusted? What will Karen's ascent mean to her relationship with Dev? And will Rebecca drive Derek insane? Eileen introduces new beau Nick to ex-husband Jerry, while Julia panics when her son Leo goes missing.
Director: Michael Mayer
Writer: Theresa Rebeck
7.8/10 113 votes#21 - The Transfer
Season 2 Episode 15 - Aired 5/11/2013
With his sights set on the Tony, Tom pulls out all the stops at a Houston & Levitt tribute night, but can Julia turn away from "Hit List" long enough to help? Ivy is afraid of damaging her reputation when Tom asks her to perform a risqué number. The cast of "Hit List" is rocked by a betrayal close to home.
Director: Holly Dale
Writer: Justin Brenneman, Julia Brownell
7.8/10 109 votes#22 - The Nominations
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 5/26/2013
It's a crucial moment for both shows as Tony nominations loom, but keeping your eye on the prize can be hard. As Tom crosses an influential Tony voter and Ivy copes with some very distracting news, Derek's past has repercussions for the entire "Hit List" team.
Director: Michael Morris
Writer: Bryan Goluboff
7.9/10 389 votes#23 - Pilot
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 2/6/2012
In the pilot of Smash we are introduced to Tom Levitt and Julia Houstona song-writing duo who had planned on taking a break from the business of Broadway but, find themselves drawn back in when they get the desire to produce a musical based around the life of Marilyn Monroe. When a demo of one of the tracks goes viral the project attracts the eye and ear of tenacious producer Eileen Rand and, although causing a conflict that of director Derek Wills. But the biggest and most important task is to find their Marilyn after, auditioning a range of girls they whittle it down to two but, who do they go for. Ivy Lynn a veteran of the stage who wants to break away from the chorus line to get her break as a lead or Karen Cartwright a fresh talent who is trying to follow her dream of becoming a star.
Director: Michael Mayer
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 262 votes#24 - The Cost of Art
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 2/27/2012
Karen must learn to advance in the high-stakes world of Broadway, as Derek hosts a party for hot young star Lyle. Eileen tries a sly new strategy for raising funds, while Tom goes on a first date.
Director: Michael Morris
Writer: David Marshall Grant
7.9/10 211 votes#25 - On Broadway
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 2/5/2013
Back from a successful run in Boston, Eileen, Julia and Tom are blindsided by both personal and professional obstacles as they seek to take "Bombshell" to Broadway. Karen consults her new mentor, Broadway star Veronica "Ronnie" Moore, as she finds herself on the brink of fame, but her success may come at cost to Ivy. A new talent is discovered in an unexpected place. Meanwhile, Derek copes with a damaging accusation.
Director: Michael Morris
Writer: Joshua Safran