UPDATED: NBC's SMASH Premiere Earns Solid Ratings!

Last night was the premiere of the highly-anticipated musical drama SMASH, and according to published reports, the show is off to a great start when it comes to ratings. SMASH ended up with a 7.7/13 at 10pm, and was only beat out by NBC's THE VOICE and TWO AND A HALF MEN, which also aired last night.

UPDATE:  SMASH's 11.5 million viewers earned the highest 18-49 rating for any series in the timeslot.  This rating also beat all other 10pm dramas for this age group on ABC, CBS, and NBC this season. Additionally, this number quadrupled NBC's season average in the slot.

SMASH celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a "smash." The series centers on the process of creating a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe - written by the successful songwriting duo of Tom (Tony Award nominee Christian Borle, "Legally Blonde: The Musical") and Julia (Emmy Award winner Debra Messing, "Will & Grace"). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband Frank (Tony Award nominee Brian d'Arcy James, "Shrek The Musical") of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit.

A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty Karen (Katharine McPhee, "American Idol") - who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds - and stage veteran Ivy Bell (Megan Hilty, "9 to 5: The Musical"), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer Eileen (Oscar winner, Anjelica Huston, "Prizzi's Honor") discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director, Derek (Jack Davenport, "Pirates of the Caribbean" films) - whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality. Jaime Cepero ("Porgy and Bess") stars as Ellis, and Raza Jaffrey ("Sex and the City 2," "MI-5") stars as Dev.

The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"). The pilot was written by acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue"). David Marshall Grant ("Brothers and Sisters"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray") and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias") also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), who serve as executive producers as well.

SMASH is a production of Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer ("Spring Awakening," "American Idiot").

SMASH airs Mondays at 10:00 pm/ET on the NBC network.