NBC’S DEBUT OF SMASH IS A HIT

Smash produced solid ratings for NBC Monday night, even though they may have been something less than a smash. Going head-to-head against strong competitors — Hawaii 50 on CBS and Castle on ABC, Smash dominated with an average of 11.5 million viewers versus 9.8 million for Hawaii and 8.7 million for Castle, the lowest numbers of the season for those two shows. Nevertheless, Daily Variety observed that no other 10:00 p.m. drama has fared as well this season. Earlier in the evening, NBC’s The Voice also drew some of its best audience figures of the year — 17.9 million viewers.