NBC was really hoping for a ratings hit with Smash, the network’s most-hyped TV series of the season. They gave it a lot of promotion during Super Bowl XLVI (the most-watched TV broadcast in history) and gave it their strongest lead-in, The Voice. Did all of this pay off?

It certainly did. Based on the fast affiliate numbers, Smash registered a 3.8 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic and 11.5 million total viewers. It easily won the 10pm timeslot, something that NBC hasn’t done (excluding the Olympics) since November 3, 2008 when they aired a Saturday Night Live election special.

Compared to last week’s edition of lethargic Rock Center with Brian Williams, NBC was up by 375% in the demo and 250% in total viewers. Compared to an edition of Harry’s Law one year ago, the network was up by 124% in the demo and 25% in total viewers.

The only downside of the night was that there was a good amount of viewer erosion as the hour progressed. The first half hour of Smash registered a 4.2 demo and the 10:30pm half hour fell to a 3.4 rating.

Still, this was a very positive start for Smash and goodness knows NBC could certainly use it. Monday is a tough night, usually dominated by CBS. We’ll have to wait to see how Smash does in week two, but at least for now it looks like NBC is finally back in the game.

What do you think? Will you be watching Smash? If you’ve already seen it, will you watch again or do you think it should be cancelled too?

Image courtesy NBC.