I think another reviewer put it best. Smash Lab is an attempt to take the last five minutes of any Mythbusters episode and somehow extend it into an hour-long program. Only it doesn't work.
So far, each episode appears to open on the same conceit. Our protagonists seem to pull a random idea out of the air and try to apply it in such a way that it can protect against a disaster. For example, can aerated concrete stop a speeding car from crossing a highway divider, slamming headlong into opposing traffic? The problem is, phrased like that, there's not a whole lot to go on. There is no "discovery." You just watch them do the experiment. They pour some aerated concrete. They let it set for just a day. Then, they run cars on it. This is spread out over the course of an entire hour and it is literally as exciting as watching the concrete dry. It's not long before you realize that it is a really bad idea, whether it's the concept itself or the execution. Because really, if your goal is to save the cars in the opposite lane, having gobs of concrete rock flying at them isn't going to help. But, nevertheless, the "scientists" are oblivious to that consequence and the show is fated to continue this same truly stupid idea to its conclusion - the one you saw coming from an hour away.
What would make the show more interesting is if it wasn't so rigorously defined from the start. They should have presented a problem and have teams try to develop different, creative solutions to it, rather than following each other in lockstep with the same materials. This also leads to a lot of the awkward, forced chemistry between the team members. The show really needs to loosen up.
So far, each episode appears to open on the same conceit. Our protagonists seem to pull a random idea out of the air and try to apply it in such a way that it can protect against a disaster. For example, can aerated concrete stop a speeding car from crossing a highway divider, slamming headlong into opposing traffic? The problem is, phrased like that, there's not a whole lot to go on. There is no "discovery." You just watch them do the experiment. They pour some aerated concrete. They let it set for just a day. Then, they run cars on it. This is spread out over the course of an entire hour and it is literally as exciting as watching the concrete dry. It's not long before you realize that it is a really bad idea, whether it's the concept itself or the execution. Because really, if your goal is to save the cars in the opposite lane, having gobs of concrete rock flying at them isn't going to help. But, nevertheless, the "scientists" are oblivious to that consequence and the show is fated to continue this same truly stupid idea to its conclusion - the one you saw coming from an hour away.
What would make the show more interesting is if it wasn't so rigorously defined from the start. They should have presented a problem and have teams try to develop different, creative solutions to it, rather than following each other in lockstep with the same materials. This also leads to a lot of the awkward, forced chemistry between the team members. The show really needs to loosen up.
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