Katharine McPhee Finally Gets Her Moment

Every time I hear the NBC commercial for “Smash” saying, “Introducing Katharine McPhee,” I laugh a little. After all, it was us who introduced her to them…

Monday, “Smash,” NBC’s new musical drama, will premiere and Kat could finally get the credit she’s long deserved…

I’ve seen the first two episodes of the show, and although I don’t think it quite reaches the level that NBC is promoting it at, Kat is amazing. As a young struggling actress competing to play Marilyn Monroe in a Broadway musical, Kat glows every time she’s on screen. Even though the other actress looks more like Marilyn, if I was in charge, I would absolutely go with Kat’s Karen Cartwright because she truly captures the Marilyn essence.

Kat can no doubt relate to Karen’s story since it’s been a rough several years for her post-“Idol.” First, she got a lot of the blame for the departure of Chris Daughtry during Season Five, since she was standing with him when his name was called. Then, she got slapped with the diva tag after an injury cut her tour performances short. Then there was her debut album, which—like with many “Idol” runners-up—tried to make her into something she wasn’t. And of course there was some mocking when she started trying to crank up her acting career. But there will be no mocking now…

The highlight of the first two episodes is Karen’s audition, which you’ve seen numerous times during NBC promos. When Kat gets to the climax of “Beautiful,” you can’t help but get chills. If only the rest of the series was that goose bump-inducing…

You can read my thoughts about the show here. Here’s a preview clip to whet your appetite…