"It's a challenge for anyone producing one of these shows to keep it fresh and to keep it vibrant. We think we've come up with some great ways to do that," Paul Telegdy, the network's president of late-night and alternative programming, explains. "One of the exciting things about The Voice is the obviously famous red chairs and the button-pushing, and we've found exciting ways to keep the competition between the coaches going through latter stages of the competition."

Smash Shake-Up: It might be bright light in their returning shows, but Smash has had its fair share of first-season jitters. Greenblatt said he was proud of Smash's freshman season, especially the success of the complicated production. "As a television producer and as a Broadway producer, which I once was, I am in awe of what we can do on that show every week." But he does concede to criticisms of inconstancies.

"We had some ups and downs creatively over the season, which is true of any show," Greenblatt says. "I think where we didn't do as good a job as I hope we do this year, and I think with our new showrunner we will do better, is the arcing storylines. I think we were inconsistent going back and forth with some things."

But NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke is confident in the series' new direction after cleaning house: "The new showrunner [Josh Safran] came in and pitched the storyline for the new season, and it was so specific and you were on the edge of your seat, and it really felt like there's a plan in place. And things are coming together that feel more consistent." And just in time, the musical drama has already begun filming its new season.