‘Smash’ Premiere Episode: Review Revue

Robbie Daw | February 7, 2012 9:28 am

NBC has been hyping its Broadway-centered musical series Smash since last spring, and the pilot episode finally aired last night following The Voice. The reviews for the Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty vehicle, which follows the lives of two struggling actresses in competition to land the role of Marilyn Monroe on the Great White Way, weren’t exactly raves. See what critics had to say below, and then let us know whether you think Smash is a smash or not! :: The Washington Post wasn’t wowed: “The pilot for Smash — a show that sets out to capture the lyric crafting and audition angst behind a potential Marilyn Monroe musical — is filled with suggestions of so much drama, drama drama. But there wasn’t a moment during the first episode when I tingled with any sense of anxiety or danger. This felt more like callback-conflict comfort food than an edgy, nitty-gritty look at the how the showtune sausage is made on Broadway.”

:: Nor the Huffington Post giving a standing ovation: “It sounds like a no-brainer hit aimed squarely at the crowd that used to love smart comedies like Frasier and Will & Grace. But now that the pilot for NBC’s much-hyped Smash has finally aired, I’m still not sure it can live up to its title… I will give Smash more time to win me over — I appreciate that it’s smart and upbeat, something NBC used to be really, really good at. If they manage to add funny and tuneful to the list, it might just be a smash.”

:: UK paper Telegraph weighed in with this: “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere. Those lyrics of the song “New York, New York” imply the commitment of sweat, tears, grit, and passion required for success in the Big Apple. Unfortunately, none of that interesting struggle can be found in Smash — NBC’s pabulum take on The Great White Way.”

:: At least Entertainment Weekly had somewhat kind words for the first episode: “Based on the premiere, which did the internet version of playing out-of-town try-outs on NBC’s website, I think you’d have to say this was one damn lively show with a lot of promise… The only time I was truly bored (even contemplating McPhee’s limp phrasing is an intriguing exercise) was when any character recited a fact from Monroe’s life as though it was a revelation, or when we saw anyone ‘studying up’ on Monroe movies (catch up on Monkey Business on your own time, people!).”

:: Likewise, the Los Angeles Times was entertained while watching: “It’s all totally absurd, of course, but in a breathlessly wide-eyed and knowing way that is terrific fun to watch. And for every bit of bizarre business (are Julia and Frank the only people on the planet who do not know it takes a long time to adopt a baby from China?) there are seven or eight real-life details (‘We are not the chorus, we are the ensemble’) to keep things from floating too high into the rafters.”

:: Vulture pinpoints one of Smash‘s problems: “This series from Pulitzer-nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck (Omnium Gatherum) about the making of a new Marilyn Monroe musical keeps creating spellbinding musical moments, then yanking us out of them.”

:: CNN, however, predicts big things for the series: “With the possible exception of Homeland, this was the pilot this season that had me dying the most to see what happens next. It didn’t hurt that the way they left it off, with a terrific song — and Karen and Ivy almost running into each other before walking into callbacks — was absolute perfection. I think we’ll see more than a few Emmy nominations this summer.”

:: We’ll end with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which offers this: “…even if the odds are lower than the usual 20 percent success rate that greets all broadcast network prime-time series, viewers with a love of Broadway and good ol’ workplace dramas won’t regret tuning in for Smash, an entertaining drama that sucks you in and gets your toes tapping during several musical numbers.”

What did you think of the pilot episode of Smash? Was it a hit or a miss? Let us know in the comments below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!