Fox aired a show at the end of the T.V. season back before the summer; it came on after American Idol and was pretty decent, but reviewers and audience members were wondering if the show, titled “Glee,” could keep up the ratings without the post-Idol push. Well, ladies and gents, “Glee” is (hopefully) here to stay.
Produced by “Nip/Tuck” man Ryan Murphy, “Glee” provides high school drama of the “loser” kind—those weird kids who get together to do something they love but aren’t accepted by the public school jocks. In this case, the students want to sing, perform, and stop getting Icee drinks tossed at them—go Glee, go!
The show follows Will Shuester (Matthew Morrison), an ex-Glee-ster who now teaches Spanish to high school kids, and his band of “misfits”—the lead being Rachel (Lea Michele) who is really awesome, but is hated by the majority of the population because her confidence level is so astounding. On the other side of the school are the Cheerios, lead by Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch)—perfectly tanned with the biggest budget and their own copy machine. The Cheerios are the typical cheerleaders: small, tan, blonde, and conniving. These girls need to be taken down.
Ryan Murphy knows some good television—Nip/Tuck may be over-the-top and dark, but the show really gets into the human mind. People really act like that, and while it may be harsh, it’s the truth. The same goes for Glee; the Cheerios rule the school and want others to feel bad, but the Glee club just wants to sing, and they’re very good at it. If the Glee club were to win the regional contest, then they would get an actual budget and press, which means popularity and new uniforms, something the Cheerios have always been given without question. They shouldn’t have to fight for popularity, heavens no! The Glee club is everything the Cheerios want to be—they’re open and honest, having a fun time all the time, and enjoying the freedom of doing what they love…jealous much?
The members of the Glee club are a rag-tag group of musical superheroes, and if your heart doesn’t go out to these kids, then this show isn’t for you. The best parts of the episodes are when the group performs a musical number—the Salt’n’Pepper number was downright hilarious—capturing the real souls of these characters and displaying them in a tune that’ll likely get your head bobbing.
The writing of “Glee” is quick and witty, letting the characters really be kids, and taking us all back to high school. The teachers are all a hoot, especially clean freak counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) and wildly inappropriate Principal Figgins (Igbal Theba), and the human element of this high school musical shows that even adults lie to get their way—high school never ends and with these dance numbers, the glee will set us all free!
“Glee” isn’t about a crazy homicidal island and doesn’t do procedure well, instead falling into its own little niche of adults still trying to live those high school dreams and kids just trying to fit in. It’ll make you remember those crazy younger days and have you laughing your socks off, and, of course, have you singing “Don’t Stop Believin” in the shower for days. “Glee” can be found on Fox on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.