‘Smash’ Premieres Tonight – Our Thoughts On TV’s Newest Musical Drama

If you haven’t already seen the pilot of NBC’s Smash, then tonight’s your night! The new musical drama premieres tonight at 10pm after The Voice. Most fans of the genre though have already had a chance to see it – whether it was iTunes, Hulu, or one of the many screenings that was hosted across the country.

I had the chance to check it out on January 9th at the Studio Movie Grill here in Atlanta, and I have to say – I rather liked it. Though I hate to admit it now, I was enchanted with Glee back in the first season too (though that feeling has long since fled). That’s going to be the one comparison that is going to take time for Smash to overcome. While it is considerably better on every front – many people will automatically write it off for trying to copy Glee. But let me say this – Smash is NOT Glee.

Smash celebrates the journey that one play is taking to Broadway. It follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have the same common goal – to be a “Smash.” Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty’s characters duel it out for the lead, while other characters deal with personal issues that seem to bleed over into their professional lives. Angelica Huston’s character, Eileen Rand, is going through a rather nasty divorce that is tying up a large amount of her finances. Debra Messing, who plays Julia Houston, is looking to adopt a baby with her family. And lastly there’s Jack Davenport (massive fan of his since BBC’s Coupling!), who plays Derek Wills. Derek is a brillaint director, but seems to have some backstory with some of the other characters that make him “challenging” to work with.

It’s a solid story with solid talent, and despite my fear that NBC will yet again kill a show that I’ve fallen for – I will definitely be watching. My only real concern is what does the future of this series look like? It’s about the journey these individuals take to bring this show to Broadway. What happens when the show opens? When the lead is picked and the other girl is out? What is Season 2? Will there be different musicals they work on in the future seasons?

Perhaps I am ahead of myself, but knowing how a series can evolve is a large part of whether or not the series will be successful over the long haul. I definitely have high hopes for Smash, and if you haven’t seen it already – I highly encourage you to check it out tonight!

Let us know your thoughts on the new NBC show below in our comment section!

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  1. Glee has nothing on this show! I don’t really see how it compares to Glee personally, the plot is totally different. they really are only alike in the sense that they have singing in them. Maybe that is why I loved it so much, haha. 😛 Loved Katherine McPhee’s character, her and her boyfriend were so cute with each other. My only problem with the show is that I wish it was on another night, my Monday nights are packed, I have 8 shows,and no DRV, I so can’t keep up with that.

  2. Carmen – I think most people will think Glee though until they see it just because of the singing. These are the only two musical dramas on tv and I think that’s solely where the comparison comes from – because I completely agree it’s nothing like Glee.