“Smash,” NBC’s ambitious and admirable backstage musical drama on the making of a Broadway show, was a ratings smash Monday (Feb. 6), attracting 11.5 million viewers in the preliminary overnight Nielsen survey. Fueled by a powerful lead-in “The Voice,” “Smash” also beat the competition with 3.8/10 rating in the coveted 18-49 adult demographics, capturing No. 1 in the 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Mainland) timeslot.
This crushed both CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” and ABC’s “Castle.”
“Five-0,” which boasted a stellar, on-the-edge-of-your-couch kidnapping drama involving Danno’s daughter Gracie and plenty of gutsy teamwork and chases, attracted 9.8 million viewers and a 2.7/7 rating in the 18 to 14 demos, down a tenth, but good for second place, reducing “Castle” to third with 8.72 million and 2.0/5 rating in demos — a season low.
“Smash” premiered strong, with 4.2 adults 18-49 from 9 to 9:30 p.m., though dropping to 3.4 from midpoint to finale.
This was the highest 18-49 tally for any regular show in the pre-news Monday schedule so far this season, nearly quadrupuling NBS’s season average in this slot. “Smash” replaced “Rock Center with Brian Williams,” which is moving the Wednesday landscape.
So the bigger issue now is: Will it have legs? Will “Smash” take the dash out of “Five-0” and “Castle,” which had been jockeying for the 1st or 2nd spot during the 2011-12 season? Or will CBS and ABC eventually reclaim former Monday primetime laurels?
Both “The Voice” and “Smash” had been touted on NBC’s “Super Bowl” coverage, and the plugs paid off.
“The Voice,” at 8 p.m., logged 17.7 viewers, reflected 6.6 adults 18-49 demos, making it the peacock network’s highest-rated regular show in four years, exclusing the “Super Bowl,” which, of course, was a ratings magnet with 111.3 million viewers this past Sunday, the most-watched TV show ever.
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Back to “Five-0”: This episode, entitled “Mai ka wā Kahiko,” or “Out of the Past,” was one of the most gripping to date, just the kind of ammo needed during February sweeps. Alas, the numbers didn't materialize — but not without effort. McGarrett, Danno and Chin Ho, and yes, Lori, too, projected the kind of brisk, taut teamwork lacking during much of this season. When Danno’s girl was in peril, there was swift movement, action, and reaction — tight writing, smart acting, spot-on directing.
The frisky and fun opening, with Lori and McG racing up the Koko Head stairs, was a contrast to the tension whichfollowed — pursuit of a cop gone bad and out of prison, who happens to have a revenge motive to get back to Danno, whose testimony got him in jail.
Acting laurels go to Scott Caan, whose Danno was all grit and snarls, opposite Peter Greene, who played his ex-partner Rick Peterson. Hook ‘em Danno. There was credible and earnest pain in his quest to get this dude back in cuffs and behind bars — and equal sizzle with his ex, Rachel, mother of their captured daugher Gracie.
That wrong-way drive makai on South Street, right next to the former Advertiser building on Kapiolani Boulevard which houses “Five-0” production studios, was swift and sensational — how they shut down the busy street for filming is a testament to savvy film-making.
Finally, here's something to ponder. If “Five-0” overdid “product placement,” with that Subway display a couple of weeks ago, there was a bit of “service placement” or "personality placement" in this one.
Murder was committed in the washroom of Hawaiian Airlines jet; Hawaiian is the show’s cooperating airline, which the plane soaring in the opening credits, and frequently shown in a number of episodes. And you might have noticed that Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Air CEO and president, played himself in a planeside press conference, which is a first for “Five-0” and him. And Hawaiian employee Denby Dung was that in-flight attendant tending to the passengers and the ruckus in the air.
Because Dung also is the spokesperson for Kia, the automaker, which is a season sponsor of the show, this was another instance of “service placement.” She and the car are regularly seen in TV commercials before and during the episodes, with a “proud to be a sponsor” message.
Any comments and/or observations?