Smash
CAST
Katherine McPhee,
Debra Messing
RATING
TV-14
PILOT PREMIERE
February 6, 2012
CHANNEL
NBC
SERIES CREATOR
Theresa Rebeck
PILOT RUNNING TIME
43 minutes
STARS
***1/2
REVIEW:
In case you don't know me at all, I am a huge fan of the TV show 'Glee.' Hell, you can probably consider me a "gleek" because I watch every new episode the night of its premiere. Plus I went to see 'The 3D Concert Movie.' The reason why I mention 'Glee' is that NBC wants some of that love, so they decided to create a new TV show starring 'American Idol' winner Katherine McPhee. This new show is called 'Smash,' and NBC is letting YouTubers and iPod owners see the pilot episode before it airs on TV. I knew that after finishing the episode that I had to write about it, so here I am. Let me just start off by saying that if you don't like any type of musical related TV show or movie, you should probably stay away from this show at all costs. However if you are a fan of that type of stuff, then you may want to watch the pilot episode to see what kind of groove it gives off to you. The pilot episode is not perfect, but it got me interested in seeing what happens next. Will 'Smash' become a 'Glee' for adults? Maybe. Will it be as good as 'Glee?' If the NBC team keeps it up, then yes, it could be as good as the Fox hit. 'Smash' isn't perfect yet, but I believe that it could get much more interesting once the season really begins.
'Smash' takes audiences behind the Broadway stage into the gritty world of making a Broadway show. The fictional Broadway show in this show is called "Marilyn: The Musical." As you might have guessed, the show is about sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. We are shown the inception of the idea, hiring the director, choreographing musical numbers, and casting a perfect lead to play Ms. Monroe. Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty are fighting for the coveted role, though you only get to see a glimpse of that in the first episode.
The cast is quite good for the parts they play, including McPhee, who is actually a newcomer on TV. I also enjoyed Jack Davenport, aka James Norrington in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series. I liked how snooty and devious this character is so far, and I'm curious to see how his chemistry with McPhee turns out in the end. I also like the pop and flare that other newcomer Hilty has. In some ways this show reminds me of a non-dark version of 'Black Swan.' Its two girls competing for a star role, what more should I explain, because there aren't any lesbian love scenes in this show... yet. They are also fantastic singers, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise for a musical show. I can’t wait to see how far their musical voices take them in this show. The rest of the cast, including Debra Messing and Angelica Huston are all very good in their roles. Overall the cast is very good, and it looks like things will get very interesting between them all as the season progresses.
I'm very excited to see how far 'Smash' gets, because the pilot episode is a great intro to what could be a really great TV series. If you want to know how exactly Broadway shows are created from the moment of inception, then this is the perfect TV show to check out in February. The cast is good, the songs are catchy, and the stories are already starting to look interesting enough. As I've said before, I don't think that this show will be as good or successful as 'Glee.' 'Glee' has a very strong following of teen and adult "gleeks," while this show is geared solely to adults. This show is quite good, don't get me wrong; and I think audiences will dig it. However I can't say that this show will be a hit upon release. I still have hope though, and I hope it does become a successful show. This show's pilot premieres on February 6 on NBC, but you can download it on iTunes, watch it On-Demand, or stream it right now down below. If you're a fan of musicals, 'Glee,' and/or Broadway shows, then you will fall in love with this show. If not, then don't even bother watching it. 'Smash' is off to a great star and I hope it becomes a "smash."
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