Pilot Review: Smash

Smash (NBC)
Premiered February 6 at 10pm

Sometimes a series premiere is larger than just one hour. “Smash,” which premiered on Monday night but has been online for weeks, is such a ready-made hit that it’s hard to digest it as anything else, except for the problem that it’s not actually a perfect series. Almost three years ago, “Glee” debuted with an extensive marketing campaign, but what really worked about the pilot is that its protagonists achieved unexpected success by episode’s end with their memorable performance on “Don’t Stop Believin’.” This new show, on the other hand, seems all too certain of its success as a series, so therefore many will disregard whether it actually has anything to offer in terms of quality. It’s an underdog story too desperate to be an underdog story, with its main characters, Megan Hilty’s Ivy and Katharine McPhee’s Karen, destined for greatness and seemingly somewhat aware of it. The cast is littered with other notable stars, such as Debra Messing in a more serious role than she had on “Will & Grace,” Jack Davenport from “Swingtown” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” as an egotistical director, and Angelica Huston as the de facto scene-stealer. The musical performances are strong, but the writing is not nearly as solid, and there are plenty of clichés to be found in this hour. I was pleased to see real-life couple Dylan and Becky Ann Baker once again playing parents onscreen, but despite the discouragement from her parents, Karen seems to be doing just fine, as evidenced by her sweatshirt-accompanied visit to Derek’s apartment, where she seduced him before telling him she wouldn’t sleep with him. That’s this show’s number one problem: it constantly wants to cross the line but never wants to stay past it, consistently returning to safe, familiar, and ultimately uninteresting territory.

How will it work as a series? The show-within-a-show means that there might be a ticking clock on this series, or at least on these characters, as they vie for roles and then ultimately go into rehearsals and the actual staging. It’s a primetime soap, and if people like “Glee,” they should definitely enjoy this show as well, which is sure to be similar in a plethora of ways.
How long will it last? The ratings for the pilot were strong, and paired with “The Voice,” it’s NBC’s shot at a comeback. I’m not sure the ratings will last, but I think that this is something that NBC is extremely invested in, and they’d very much like to see it succeed. A speedy renewal could mean good press, and I think this show is going to charge forward at least through the rest of the season.

Pilot grade: C+