'Gossip Girl' boss is NBC's new 'Smash' showrunner

Who’s going to take over NBC’s Smash as showrunner for season two?

EW.com has learned the gig is going to Gossip Girl writer and executive producer Josh Safran.

Safran is expected to take over for Theresa Rebeck, the Broadway veteran who created Smash and shepherded the show’s debut season. After NBC gave the Monday night drama an early renewal, the announcement was made that Rebeck would step down from the top post amid viewer criticism about the creative direction of the show. She will remain an executive producer on the project.

On Gossip Girl, Safran has been with the soapy drama since the first season in 2007. Safran worked his was up from a consulting producer, to co-executive producer to an executive producer on the series. He beat out other candidates vying for the Smash gig, with sources saying the network was impressed by his vision for the show’s second season. Gossip Girl is expected to get renewed too, though some say there’s a chance The CW’s order might get billed as a final season.