You remember the scarves. You definitely remember the "Let Me Be Your Star" showdown. It’s been well over a decade since Smash took its final bow on NBC, and honestly, the show’s legacy is weirder and more enduring than anyone predicted back in 2013. While the series was famously "hate-watched" by some and championed by "Smashies" everywhere, the actual cast of Smash TV show has basically taken over the entertainment industry.
If you haven’t checked in on them lately, you’ve missed a lot. We’re talking Tony Awards, Oscar-winning movies, and a 2025 Broadway adaptation that finally brought the fictional musical Bombshell to a real-life stage.
The Rivalry That Never Actually Ended
The core of the show was always Karen vs. Ivy. It was the "Midwestern Ingenue" against the "Seasoned Chorus Girl."
Katharine McPhee (Karen Cartwright) didn't just fade away after the final curtain. Most people know she spent years starring in the CBS procedural Scorpion, but she eventually found her way back to the theater. She made a massive splash in Waitress on Broadway and in London’s West End. As of early 2026, she’s still balancing a recording career with motherhood—and yes, she still performs those Smash hits in her concert sets with her husband, David Foster.
Then there is Megan Hilty. If there was ever a "winner" of the show's cult status, it’s her. Ivy Lynn was the character Broadway fans rooted for, and Hilty used that momentum to become a literal titan of the stage. She scored a Tony nomination for Noises Off and has become the go-to gal for televised musical events. You've probably heard her voice in about a dozen animated shows without even realizing it.
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What happened to the creative team?
The "adults in the room" had arguably the most fascinating post-show trajectories.
- Debra Messing (Julia Houston): She went from the scarf-wearing lyricist straight back to her roots with the Will & Grace revival. More recently, she’s leaned into prestige drama, appearing in the 2025 film Alto Knights alongside Robert De Niro.
- Christian Borle (Tom Levitt): Christian is basically the King of Broadway now. Since the show ended, he’s picked up two Tony Awards (for Peter and the Starcatcher and Something Rotten!). If you see a major musical opening in New York, there is a 50% chance Borle is in it.
- Jack Davenport (Derek Wills): The man we all loved to hate. Davenport has been busy in high-end TV like The Morning Show and the 2025 series The Assassin. He’s kept that sharp, British edge that made Derek so terrifyingly effective.
- Anjelica Huston (Eileen Rand): The legendary producer who threw drinks like a pro. Huston recently opened up in 2025 about how she didn't actually have the best time filming the show in New York, but that hasn't stopped fans from obsessing over her performance. She’s still a force, recently reprising her role in the John Wick spin-off Ballerina.
The "Hit List" Newcomers and Where They Landed
Season 2 brought in the Hit List crew, and looking back, the talent scout for that season deserves a raise.
Leslie Odom Jr. was a supporting player named Sam on Smash. A few years later? He became a global superstar in Hamilton. It’s wild to rewatch the show and see a future Tony and Grammy winner just hanging out in the background of rehearsal scenes.
Then you have Jeremy Jordan (Jimmy Collins). He’s stayed incredibly loyal to the theater community, starring in Newsies and The Great Gatsby on Broadway. He’s the definitive "voice of a generation" for theater nerds, and his runs at 54 Below are usually sold out months in advance.
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Krysta Rodriguez (Ana Vargas) also stayed busy. She’s been in everything from Daybreak on Netflix to starring as Cinderella in the Into the Woods revival. She even joined the real-life Smash Broadway musical cast for its 2025 run, which felt like a beautiful full-circle moment for the fans.
Why we're still talking about the Smash cast in 2026
Usually, a show that gets cancelled after two seasons vanishes. That didn't happen here. Smash became the blueprint for how to do "theatrical TV."
The songs, written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, were too good to stay on a hard drive. That's why the 2025 Broadway opening was such a massive deal. It wasn't just a tribute; it was a realization of what the show was trying to do all along. Seeing the original cast members like Debra Messing and Christian Borle show up for that premiere felt like a high school reunion for people who actually like each other.
The legacy of "Bombshell"
Is it perfect? No. The plot was messy. There was a weird subplot about a baby in season one that everyone tries to forget. But the cast of Smash TV show was undeniably top-tier. They weren't just actors pretending to be on Broadway; they were Broadway stars showing the world how the sausage gets made.
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If you’re looking to catch up with the show today, it’s mostly living on Peacock or available for purchase on Apple TV. It’s worth a rewatch just to see how many "Before They Were Famous" cameos you can spot.
Your Smash catch-up checklist
If you want to follow the cast's current work, here is the best way to do it:
- See them live: Check the Broadway listings. Christian Borle and Jeremy Jordan are almost always attached to something major in midtown.
- Stream the new stuff: Look for Debra Messing in Alto Knights or Jack Davenport in The Morning Show to see how they've evolved.
- Listen to the 2025 Broadway Cast Recording: The new Smash musical album features some of the original songs revamped for the stage—it's a nostalgia trip that actually holds up.
- Watch the "Bombshell" in Concert: If you can find the recording of the 2015 Actors Fund benefit, watch it. It features almost the entire original cast and captures the magic better than the edited TV episodes ever could.
The show might be over, but for this cast, the stage is still very much theirs. Take a Saturday to dive back into the soundtrack; it still hits just as hard as it did in 2012.