'Smash' Cast Takes You Inside Season Two

After a very public behind the scenes shake-up, the newly installed Smash EP, Joshua Safran, and the cast addressed the press at the Television Critics Association Tour in Pasadena, CA today.

First thing first, Safran wanted to make it clear that this rejiggered season is still very much the Smash you fell in love with last year. "I don't really think it's changed that much. The stuff you loved last year is still there and the stuff you thought went off on tangents, we tried to find ways to pull together."

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"It's bigger, with more music, younger in some regards, but I hope the people who watched it still see the same show they loved."

Having watched the two-hour premiere, I can attest that what Safran says is true. The episode is fast-paced, more grounded yet dares all the characters to dream higher. All in all, it's simply more of what you loved to begin with.

To play off that, Smash introduces Hit List, a second burgeoning Broadway musical this season, which is how newbies Jeremy Jordan and Andy Mientus (they play Hit List's writers) come into the picture. "We have more original music, more musical sequences per episode [and] more diverse styles," Safran added. "If you look at Broadway, there are shows that take place in the 1800s and shows that take place today. I wanted to represent that [on our show]."

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Check out the first 44 minutes from the season two premiere, airing February 5 at 9 p.m. on NBC.