'Smash' intriguing but will it smash?

“Smash” has, yes, a smashing premise. But so did “Glee,” and we all saw how quickly that speeding locomotive charged off the rails.

In case you haven’t opened a magazine or turned on the TV in the past few weeks, the new musical drama “Smash” debuts at 9 p.m. on Monday. The struggling NBC is making a valiant effort to duplicate the success of the Fox high school show choir powerhouse with its new weekly series on the creation of a Broadway musical, with the gotta-have-a-gimmick that the show being developed in "Smash" may actually become a Broadway musical.

The creative team behind “Smash” is impressive. The first three episodes were directed by Michael Mayer, a Tony winner for “Spring Awakening,” and the “Hairspray” songwriting team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman is penning new songs. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who brought “Chicago” to the big screen, are executive producers. Along with an upstart named Steven Spielberg.

But beyond Spielberg, those names mean very little, if anything at all, to Middle America. “Smash” is full of razzle-dazzle and Broadway intrigue, and wants viewers to feel as if they are theater insiders. Like "Glee," the show's musical interludes are terrifically fun, but it still must deliver compelling dramatic storylines — and that’s where “Smash” struggles.

Two actresses, played by a vivacious Megan Hilty (“9 to 5: The Musical”) and the dishwater-drab Katharine McPhee (“American Idol”), are vying for the lead in a new musical on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But there’s really no comparing the two performers. Hilty’s character is so destined for the role. I did a spit-take at the adoring reception McPhee receives as she sings a Mariah Carey song at her callback during the second episode. “Beautiful” at a Broadway audition? No, no, no. Until it’s recognized that we’ll only be hearing Broadway compositions by Shaiman and Wittman. (And “Smash” covers need to sell big on iTunes.)

Debra Messing is partnered with Christian Borle (“Legally Blonde: The Musical”) as the developers of the Monroe musical bio, with Anjelica Huston, who seems to be channeling the eccentric designer Edna Mode from “The Incredibles,” as the show’s producer.