Hot Sheet

 1. TV: Smash
Prepare to get hooked on NBC’s inventive and very cinematic look at the behind-the-scenes struggle to stage a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe — it’s far and away the most riveting new series of the mid-season. The blockbuster also comes with one of TV’s toniest pedigrees in memory. Besides über-producers Steven Spielberg, Craig Zadan, and Neil Meron, there's the crack songwriting team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, acclaimed writer Theresa Rebeck, renowned theater director Michael Mayer, and the cast includes acting royalty Anjelica Huston, TV icon Debra Messing, plus Broadway's brilliant Christian Borle as Messing's gay writing partner. Wicked's Megan Hilty and American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee are completely winning as dueling Marilyns, and there's a prestigious guest star lineup that includes Bernadette Peters, Nick Jonas, and Uma Thurman. Smash premieres on NBC February 6.