Pilot Thoughts: Smash

Well now that Smash has officially aired for everyone, what did everyone else think of it? I already made my brief thoughts known in an earlier post, but I guess this would be the place to be a bit more specific.

As I said, the cast is probably the main selling point for me. Anjelica Huston is divine and it looks like she might just be having the best time ever here. Debra Messing actually seems perfectly cast as a busy Manhattanite mother who is one half of a songwriting team with Broadway vet Christian Borle. Of course she's married to another Broadway favorite Brian d'Arcy James. Speaking of, the eye candy in this show is just ridiculous with a pair of British hotties in Jack Davenport and Rafa Jaffrey plus baby-faced Jaime Cepero gracing the screen. I also didn't forget those chorus boys during that fun baseball routine with their bats and shiny Yankee uniforms.

But it'd be all for naught if we didn't care about the journeys of the two would-be Marilyns played by Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty. It's painfully obvious that McPhee will probably be THE star, but one of my favorite things about the pilot is how utterly sympathetic and totally rootable Hilty's character was as well. Plus I found it difficult to actually consider McPhee an underdog and such mostly due to her hot, supportive boyfriend. In any case, Broadway is a business and it's a tough one at that and there will always be someone who gets hurt. As long as this show keeps this fact in perspective, it will serve them well amidst all the glitz and drama.


Was it perfect? Of course not. Some of the characters were a bit under-served, though that's understandable especially with the pressures of a pilot. There were a also few moments where the show sagged, especially when it came to the adoption storyline. But other than those, I'm all in. The songs were handled well with a couple standouts in the baseball routine and the final duet showdown. At the very least, even if this show ultimately crashes and burns by its own doing or because America doesn't fall in love with behind-the-scenes look on Broadway, it's a truly valiant effort from all involved. B+