Karen (Katharine McPhee) might hold the answer to one of Tom's (Christian Borle) biggest questions on next week's Smash.
The writer-producer has been tasked with overseeing Ronnie's (Jennifer Hudson) televised concert special, but takes time out of his busy schedule to give Karen's new talent Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan) a listen.
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While the song Jimmy plays and sings might impress Tom, the Broadway heavyweight takes issue with the former's attitude in an exclusive clip from the Feb. 26 episode, titled "The Song."
"He's real damaged and Karen calls him out on his shit and he does the same for her," Jordan tells The Hollywood Reporter about his on-screen aspiring singer-playwright's relationship with the star of Bombshell. "It creates a bit of a rift, but at the same time, there's a chemistry connection that keeps drawing them back to each other no matter what, so even though they're probably pretty bad for each other, there's still a love there."
Meanwhile, new Smash co-star Andy Mientus (Kyle) says being Jimmy's writing partner poses its own problems. "Kyle's biggest challenge is finding his own voice as a writer," he tells THR. "That friendship is challenged by some of the personal things that go on and when that partnership is jeopardized, Kyle has to learn to take a stand for his own art and not just be part of t his partnership."
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Eventually, Mientus previews, Jimmy and Kyle will wind up spending less time tending bar when their careers begin to take flight. "You're going to see them get some recognition as artists," he says. "And maybe the bartending won't be as necessary as it once was."
Check out the exclusive clip below, and hit the comments with your thoughts on Smash's newest additions. Smash airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
