Short, but sweet: NBC's Smash is Glee for grownups. I watched the pilot , and really enjoyed it. Things I liked: I love the cast. Each of the following people played their parts to perfection: Debra Messing as Julia Houston, [4] a songwriter/lyricist and the musical's co-writer Jack Davenport as Derek Wills, [4] the brilliant (and womanizing) director of the musical, who is hoping for a breakout with the musical even if it means putting the lead in a compromising position Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright, [4] an Iowan who lands a successful audition and becomes the favorite for the role of Monroe Christian Borle as Tom Levitt, [4] Julia's co-writing partner on the project Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn, [4] a veteran actress who was favored to land the Monroe lead until Karen came into the picture, and finds herself competing with the newcomer Raza Jaffrey as Dev Sundaram, [4] ...