Glee (stylized in all lowercase as glee) is an American jukebox musical comedy-drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Set at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, the series follows the members of the New Directions, a glee club competing in the show choir circuit, as they navigate social issues regarding sexuality, gender, race, family, relationships, and teamwork. Each episode features on-screen musical performances chosen by Murphy and produced by Adam Anders and Peer Åström, ranging from show tunes to chart hits.
Conceived by Brennan as a feature film, Glee was primarily written by him, Murphy, and Falchuk in its first two seasons; Murphy and Falchuk also served as the initial directors. The pilot episode was broadcast on May 19, 2009, with the first season officially premiering on September 9 later that year. In 2013, Murphy announced that the sixth season would be the series' last. Glee concluded on March 20, 2015, after 121 episodes and over 729 musical performances.
Glee received generally favorable reviews for its first season, while reception to the later five varied. Its accolades include six Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and the 2009 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Fox chose the show as the lead-out program for its coverage of Super Bowl XLV in 2011. The series' music accumulated over 36 million digital single sales and 11 million album sales worldwide through October 2011. The cast embarked on live concert tours following the first and second seasons; a concert film based on the 2011 tour had a limited theatrical release that August. Other merchandise includes DVD and Blu-ray releases, an iPad application, and karaoke games for the Wii.
Series overview
The series centers on a show choir and glee club at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) takes over the club after former teacher Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky) is fired for inappropriate conduct. Will's attempts to restore the renamed "New Directions" to its former glory are made difficult due to marital issues with his wife Terri Schuester (Jessalyn Gilsig) and his developing feelings for his co-worker, guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). Will must also defend the glee club's existence from scheming cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and at times, school Principal Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba). The series gives focus to the lives of the eventual members of the New Directions: their romances, their love of singing and desire for popularity clashing with their membership in the low-status club, and the many vicissitudes that come with high school and teen-hood.
The first season follows the New Directions competing for the first time on the show choir circuit, from their win at the Sectionals competition (episode 13) to their loss at Regionals (episode 22). Social issues explored in this season include sex, relationship problems, homosexuality, teenage pregnancy, disabilities, and acceptance. The inaugural members of the New Directions include Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), an ambitious performer driven by her dreams of becoming a Broadway theatre star; Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), the school's sometimes-slow-witted star quarterback; Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale), a boy with a physical disability; Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), an effeminate, openly gay boy; Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), an aspiring vocal diva whose talents go unrecognized; Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz), a shy goth longing to be popular; Noah "Puck" Puckerman (Mark Salling), a delinquent in need of direction; and Quinn Fabray (Dianna Agron), a popular cheerleader who experiences a teenage pregnancy.
The second season follows the club through wins at Sectionals (episode 9) and Regionals (episode 16) before losing at the Nationals competition in New York City (episode 22), while dealing with relationship problems, religion, homophobia, bullying, rumors, teenage drinking, and death. Club members promoted to the main cast this season include Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), a snarky, cynical cheerleader struggling with her sexuality; Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris), a ditzy, promiscuous cheerleader who later dates Santana; and Kurt's father Burt Hummel (Mike O'Malley).
Characters like Santana Lopez and Kurt Hummel brought in LGBTQ+ storylines which was new to primetime television. This show helped to set a foundation in media while addressing themes of coming out, bullying, and acceptance. Additionally, the show featured multiple characters from multiple different backgrounds such as Mercedes Jones and Mike Chang, showing ethnic imbalances and inequalities within high school settings.
The third season follows the club through wins at Sectionals (episode 8), Regionals (episode 14), and their first win at Nationals (episode 21) in Chicago, while dealing with gender identity, adoption, domestic abuse, teenage suicide, bullying, disabilities, texting while driving, and college prospects. Two club members were promoted to the main cast: Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.), a soft-spoken athlete-turned-dancer with unsupportive parents, and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), a Dalton Academy transfer student who dates Kurt. Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) was written out of the series while Burt (Mike O'Malley) returned to recurring status. At the end of the season, the McKinley High class of 2012 graduates.
The fourth season introduces a new generation of McKinley students while following certain graduates from the previous season, notably Rachel and Kurt at the fictional New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NYADA) in New York City. The season follows the club through their loss and subsequent reinstatement at Sectionals (episodes 9 and 12) before winning at Regionals (episode 22), marking their third consecutive appearance at Nationals. Rachel and Kurt, meanwhile, navigate NYADA and their lives as aspiring performers atop their relationships with Finn and Blaine. Issues explored in the season include sex, bulimia, gender identity, child molestation, dyslexia, school violence, and pregnancy scares. Former main cast members Emma (Jayma Mays) and Quinn (Dianna Agron) are credited as guest stars, while previously recurring glee club member Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet) was promoted to the main cast.
The fifth season, unlike previous seasons, continues the school year begun in the previous season. The New Directions finish second at Nationals (episode 11) before they are permanently disbanded by Sue Sylvester, now school principal (after framing Figgins in episode 1), for budgetary reasons (episode 12). Following graduation, the show jumps several months forward in time to focus on the alumni's lives in New York City for the remainder of the season, including Rachel's successful Broadway debut. Throughout this season, the club and its alumni deal with relationship issues, death and mourning, anger issues, body image, gay bashing, and intimacy. Several cast members dropped to recurring guest stars as of this season: Amber Riley (Mercedes), Mark Salling (Puck), Harry Shum Jr. (Mike), and Heather Morris (Brittany). New main cast members included glee club members introduced in the fourth season: Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist), a kind teenager who develops an eating disorder; Unique Adams (Alex Newell), a shy, nerdy teenager who becomes more bold and glamorous after coming out as transgender; Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner), a dyslexic teen; Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist), a biracial teen struggling with anger issues; Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin), a Christian mean girl. Cory Monteith died in the summer before the fifth season was shot; Finn subsequently died off-screen in the third episode.
The sixth and final season sees Rachel return to McKinley after her television pilot fails and deciding to reconstitute the New Directions with all-new students and help from Kurt. Will now coaches rival club Vocal Adrenaline, while Blaine coaches the Dalton Academy Warblers. All of the new main cast members from the fifth season have returned to guest star status in the final season, as well as Santana (Naya Rivera) Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz); Mercedes (Amber Riley) rejoins the main cast, and Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) joins the main cast for the first time. Social issues faced by the characters this season include gay marriage, gender identity, and transitioning. The New Directions wins Nationals, Sue is fired as principal, and McKinley High is repurposed as a magnet arts school with Will as principal and Sam as director of New Directions. The finale jumps five years into the future: Rachel has married Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff), won a Tony Award, and is a surrogate mother for Kurt and Blaine (who are themselves Broadway stars). Artie has directed Tina in a film, Mercedes is a highly successful recording artist, and Sue has just been re-elected Vice President of the United States. The McKinley auditorium is renamed after Finn.
Cast and characters
In casting Glee, Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway, where he found Matthew Morrison, who had previously starred on stage in Hairspray and The Light in the Piazza; Lea Michele, who starred in Spring Awakening; and Jenna Ushkowitz, who had been in the Broadway revival of The King and I.
During their auditions, actors without any theatrical experience needed to demonstrate that they could also sing and dance. Chris Colfer had no previous professional experience, but Murphy wrote in the character Kurt Hummel for him. Jayma Mays auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" from The Rocky Horror Show, while Cory Monteith initially submitted a tape of himself acting only, and was requested to submit a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". Kevin McHale came from a boy-band background, having previously been part of the group Not Like Them. He explained that the diversity of the cast's backgrounds reflects the range of different musical styles within the show itself: "It's a mix of everything: classic rock, current stuff, R&B. Even the musical theatre stuff is switched up. You won't always recognize it." Jane Lynch was originally supposed to have a recurring role as Sue Sylvester, but was made a series regular when a Damon Wayans pilot she was working on for ABC fell through. The cast was contracted for three potential Glee films, with their contract stating that "[The actor] hereby grants Fox three exclusive, irrevocable options to engage [the actor] in up to, respectively, three feature-length motion pictures." Murphy said in December 2010 that he wasn't interested in doing a Glee movie "as a story", and added, "I might do it as a live concert thing." Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, filmed during the 2011 Glee Live! In Concert! tour and the only film related to the show, was released on August 12, 2011.