NBC Moves 'Smash' to Saturdays

'Go On' to end freshman run on Thursdays; 'Celebrity Apprentice' expands to two hours through May

By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/13/2013 6:54:42 PM

NBC is starting to close the curtain on Smash, announcing the struggling sophomore drama will complete its 17-episode order on Saturdays starting April 6 at 9 p.m.

The musical drama, a passion project of NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, failed to rebound in its second season despite major creative changes behind the scenes. Its return drew just a 1.1 rating with adults 18-49 and has leveled off to a 0.9 in recent weeks.

New dating show Ready for Love will now air on Tuesdays from 9-11 p.m., taking the plum spot following The Voice starting April 9. The Eva Longoria-produced series was originally scheduled to run on Sundays from 8-10 p.m.

Without Ready for Love on the night, Celebrity Apprentice will remain at two hours (9-11 p.m.) starting April 14 through the end of May. Encore episodes of The Voice will pad the Sunday lineup until then on March 31 and April 7 (7-10 p.m.) leading into Celeb Apprentice at 10 p.m.

Freshman comedy Go On also gets a new night, moving to Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. for April 4 and April 11 (its season finale) following The Office. Fellow Tuesday comedy The New Normal will have its one-hour season finale on April 2 from 9-10 p.m. following The Voice.

Both Go On and New Normal have also seen their ratings collapse without the strong Voice lead-in. Go On is averaging a 2.1 rating for the season but its most recent original drew just a 1.1; New Normal posted a 0.9 for its latest new episode, well below its 1.6 season average.

NBC additionally announced Whitney will conclude its sophomore run with a one-hour episode on Wednesday, March 27.