'Smash' Ratings: Good Start For NBC's Musical Drama

Will "Smash" be the ratings hit NBC needs? So far, so good. According to the network, the show brought in 11.5 million viewers with a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

The new musical drama debuted after the first two-hour edition of "The Voice's" second season. Season 2 of "The Voice" officially kicked off after the ratings juggernaut of Super Bowl XLVI, pulling in 37.6 million total viewers. The Mon., Feb. 6 installment had 17.7 million viewers and a 6.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

"Smash" stars Anjelica Huston, Debra Messing, Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee and follows the creation of a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. The show was heavily promoted by NBC over the last few months, especially during the Super Bowl

But a healthy premiere doesn't necessarily mean the show will maintain the ratings. ABC's "Pan Am" took off to more than 11 million viewers, but quickly lost momentum. The show's Sun., Jan. 22 episode had 3.7 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. "Smash's" future will be determined in the coming weeks.

For more on "Smash," see what the cast and producers had to say about the series in the slideshow below.

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Comments

[librarianMICH]

01:33 PM on 02/10/2012

The premier was mediocre, not hatefully bad but not enthralling, by any means. I hated the Debra Messing adoption storyline...made me dislike the character and her whole whiny family. The baseball production number was incredibly stereotyped "Broadway", with Messing raving about it being "brilliant". Not brilliant - hokey. McPhee is "like a saint". Please! Terrible dialogue! We already know that the blonde will sleep with the director, McPhee won't because she's too moral. Why did they hire back the assistant who leaked the video to his mother? Why is Huston remaking "My Fair Lady", of all the overdone productions? Too many holes in the premier. Step it up, people, or it'll be a short run.

[glowbug25]

01:11 PM on 02/09/2012

I watched the premiere of Smash and was extremely disappointed. The cast is lacking diversity and a realistic portrayal of Broadway life in NY.

[aquarius2]

03:02 AM on 02/09/2012

I don't see this show lasting for more than a few weeks.

[Norm]

07:54 PM on 02/08/2012

It was terrific; refreshing and different. I hope it succeeds.

[Licinia Conceicao]

04:32 PM on 02/08/2012

it sucks..... :/

[cloudmaker]

01:23 PM on 02/08/2012

Forget Smash and all those other 2-second-clip shows. I found a TV series with real stories, great acting, seat-of-your-pants suspense and scenes that actually play out. And it's only five nights a week. It's the black-and-white, 1960s, hour-long Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and it's tons more entertaining than anything they're producing today.

[cloudmaker]

01:17 PM on 02/08/2012

Smash may have opened well, but it will soon sink as viewers realize how weak the writing is and how the story bears no real resemblence to the real Marilyn Monroe. The baseball dance sequence was right out of Damn Yankees and completely illogical since it featured the exaggerated movie Marilyn in a red dress and not the down-to-earth person Marilyn who had just met Joe DiMaggio.

[Hampton Roads]

12:56 PM on 02/08/2012

Didn't see it but watched the much hyped ABC series "The River." What a horrible show that was. Would not even scare children.

[aquarius2]

03:05 AM on 02/09/2012

Oh, I have to agree with you. What a waste of 2 hours. What is it supposed to be, a horror/documentary? It was miserable.

[CMarks]

12:31 PM on 02/08/2012

I think the target audience is too small to make the show a hit. However, NBC is so short on successful shows that "Smash", which probably wouldn't make it past week two @ ABC, CBS or FOX, might actually have decent enough numbers (for NBC) for the network to keep it on air. Also, the show is a perfect vehicle for stunt casting and if done properly that could stir some interest.

[FreedToChoose]

11:45 AM on 02/08/2012

Leno may need a new source of material.

[bridgeman]

06:55 AM on 02/08/2012

A plastic facsimile of an annoying reality genre...

why watch the fake stuff when you can watch the "real" fake stuff?

[rgensemer]

05:39 AM on 02/08/2012

Over hyped big production. The premise is lame and I can see it on the heels of "Playboy Club" and "Pan Am" cancellation is near - Katherine Mcfee is a good actress and she was the only bright spot in "Shark Night" a terrible movie with the exception of Mcfee. Good TV will sustain itself. "Boardwalk Empire", "Justified" "American Horror Story" and Southland" are my proof and "The Killing" is the cream of the crop.

[Bonez1]

01:12 AM on 02/08/2012

Not sure why Katharine Mcfee is getting the top billing here..

She does nothing for me...sure she has a good voice, but that's about it..

No shining star that i can see...Nothing about her glows...

Just plain plain, blah blah, Nothing stands out!

[AuntieLoieAZ]

12:06 AM on 02/08/2012

I may watch this on DVD or online streaming some day, but I'm a confirmed Castle fanatic and want to support that show (I do tape it on the DVR). I wouldn't commit to a show like this because it may not be around after one season (hope it is because it is original).

Just sayin'

[shirleyfeeney]

11:56 PM on 02/07/2012

I fell asleep. And I'm not sorry either.