First conceived by Brennan as a feature film,Glee was primarily written by him, Murphy, and Falchuk in the first two seasons; Murphy and Falchuk also served as the series' initial directors. Thepilot episode premiered on May 19, 2009, and thefirst season aired from September 9, 2009, to June 8, 2010. Subsequent seasons aired from September through May, while thesixth and final season aired from January to March 2015.[1]Glee features on-screen musical performances chosen by Murphy and produced byAdam Anders andPeer Åström, ranging fromshow tunes tochart hits. Songs covered in the series were released through theiTunes Store during the week of broadcast, and severalGlee albums have been released byColumbia Records. The series' music has been commercially successful, with over 36 million digital single sales and 11 million album sales worldwide through October 2011. Other merchandise includesDVD andBlu-ray releases, aniPad application, andkaraoke games for theWii console. The cast embarked onlive concert tours after filming the first and second seasons; aconcert film based on the 2011 tour, produced by Murphy and directed byKevin Tancharoen, was givenlimited theatrical release in August 2011.
In 2013, following Cory Monteith's death and the airing of his tribute episode "The Quarterback", Murphy announced that the sixth season would be the series' last.[2] After 121 episodes and over 729 music performances,Glee concluded on March 20, 2015.[3]
The series centers on ashow choir andglee club at the fictional William McKinley High School inLima, Ohio.[10] Spanish teacherWill Schuester (Matthew Morrison) takes over the glee club after former teacherSandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky) is fired for inappropriate contact with a student, and attempts to restore the newly-named "New Directions" to its former glory while tending to his developing feelings for his co-worker, guidance counselorEmma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). Will must also defend the glee club's existence from scheming cheerleading coachSue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and at times, school PrincipalPrincipal 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 teenhood.
Thesecond 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 includeSantana 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 fatherBurt Hummel (Mike O'Malley).
Thethird season follows the club through wins at Sectionals (episode 8), Regionals (episode 14), and their first win at Nationals (episode 21) inChicago, while dealing withgender identity,adoption,domestic abuse,teenage suicide, bullying, disabilities,texting while driving, andcollege prospects. Two club members were promoted to the main cast:Mike Chang (Harry Shum Jr.), a soft-spoken dancer whose parents do not support his dreams, andBlaine 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.
Thefourth season introduces a new generation of students in Lima. This season also follows certain McKinley graduates from the third 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 respective relationships with Finn and Blaine. Issues explored in the season include sex,bulimia, gender identity,child molestation,dyslexia,school violence, andpregnancy scares. Former main cast members Emma (Jayma Mays) and Quinn (Dianna Agron) are credited as guest stars, while previously recurring glee club memberSam Evans (Chord Overstreet) was promoted to the main cast.
Thefifth 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 and deals entirely with the alumni's lives inNew 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 andmourning,anger issues,body image,gay bashing, andintimacy. 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 aneating disorder;Unique Adams (Alex Newell), a shy, nerdy teenager who becomes more bold and glamorous after coming out astransgender;Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner), adyslexic teen;Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist), abiracial teen struggling withanger issues;Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin), aChristian mean girl. With Cory Monteith passing away before filming for the fifth season commenced, Finn subsequently died off-screen inthe season's third episode.
Thesixth 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, andCoach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) joins the main cast for the first time. Social issues faced by the characters this season includegay marriage, gender identity, andtransitioning. The New Directions wins Nationals, Sue is fired as principal, and McKinley High is repurposed as amagnet arts school with Will as principal and Sam as director of New Directions. The finale jumps five years into the future: Rachel has marriedJesse 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-electedVice President of the United States. The McKinley auditorium is renamed after Finn.
Matthew Morrison was cast after Murphy spent three months observing actors on Broadway.
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 characterKurt Hummel for him.[11]Jayma Mays auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" fromThe Rocky Horror Show, whileCory 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" ofREO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling".[11]Kevin McHale came from a boy-band background, having previously been part of the groupNot 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."[11]Jane Lynch was originally supposed to have a recurring role asSue Sylvester,[12] but was made a series regular when aDamon Wayans pilot she was working on forABC fell through.[13] The cast is contracted for a potential threeGlee films,[14] 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."[15] Murphy said in December 2010 that he wasn't interested in doing aGlee movie "as a story", and added, "I might do it as a live concert thing."[16]Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, filmed during the 2011Glee Live! In Concert! tour, was released on August 12, 2011.[17]
Cory Monteith portrayed glee club member Finn Hudson.
Glee has featured as many as fifteen main roles withstar billing, after starting with twelve. Morrison playsWill Schuester, McKinley High's Spanish teacher, who becomes glee-club director and hopes to restore it to its former glory.[18] Lynch playsSue Sylvester, head coach of the "Cheerios" cheerleading squad, and the Glee Club's nemesis.[13] Mays appears asEmma Pillsbury, the school'smysophobicguidance counselor who has feelings for Will,[19] andJessalyn Gilsig playsTerri Schuester, Will's wife whom he eventually divorces after five years of marriage and the discovery that she has faked being pregnant instead of revealing she had suffered afalse pregnancy.[citation needed] Michele playsRachel Berry, talented star of the glee club whose ambition sometimes causes her to be insensitive toward others. Often bullied by the Cheerios and football players, she grows closer to them as the show progresses and begins an on-and-off relationship withFinn Hudson starting in season one; they become engaged in season three. Monteith played Finn, star quarterback of the school's football team who risks alienation by his friends after joining the glee club.[citation needed] Also in the club areAmber Riley asMercedes Jones, a fashion-conscious diva who resents having to sing back-up but eventually finds her place in the choir; Colfer asKurt Hummel, a fashionable gay mancountertenor who is often bullied by the jocks in the school;[20] McHale asArtie Abrams, a guitar player and paraplegic who longs to be seen for his personality rather than only his physical injuries; and Ushkowitz asTina Cohen-Chang, a painfully shy Asian American student who fakes aspeech impediment as a defense mechanism.Dianna Agron playsQuinn Fabray, Finn's cheerleader girlfriend, who later joins the glee club to keep an eye on him.Mark Salling playsNoah "Puck" Puckerman, a good friend of Finn's on the football team who at first disapproves of Finn joining the glee club, but later joins it himself.Naya Rivera andHeather Morris portray Cheerios and glee club vocalistsSantana Lopez andBrittany Pierce respectively and were originally recurring actors, but were promoted to series regulars in the second season.[21]Mike O'Malley, who plays Kurt's fatherBurt Hummel, also became a series regular on season two.[22] Gilsig and O'Malley no longer appeared on the list of starring actors at the beginning of the third season, though O'Malley was a recurring guest star in at least six episodes during the season.[23] Two actors were promoted to series regulars as of the third season:Harry Shum Jr. as football player and glee club memberMike Chang andDarren Criss as former Dalton Academy Warbler and new club memberBlaine Anderson, both of whom started as recurring actors, Shum in the first season and Criss in the second.[24] For the fourth season,Chord Overstreet, who started as a recurring actor in the second season, playing glee club memberSam Evans, was promoted to the main cast,[25] while Agron and Mays were credited as recurring guest stars.
Many of the original characters graduated from McKinley High at the end of the third season. Murphy said, "We didn't want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years. We really wanted to be true to that experience."[26] Adult characters played by Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch would remain to provide continuity to the series,[27] though according to Falchuk, some students—Rachel, Finn and Kurt in particular—would likely remain on the show after they graduate.[28] In May 2012, Murphy said that just because a character on the show graduates high school does not mean that they are leaving, "A lot of people have been writing Dianna's off the show, Amber's off the show — they're not off the show. I think Amber was talking about that bittersweet feeling of, 'I'll never be in the choir room with that exact group of people.' At least that's what she told me ... When I read that [tweet,] I said, 'I think people will misconstrue that.' She's excited about where her character is going. They all are. I wanted to do the right thing by all of them." He then continued: "They're all coming back. Anyone who is a regular is coming back. Everyone said yes."[29]
On July 13, 2013, Cory Monteith was found dead in his room at theFairmont Pacific Rim hotel inVancouver,British Columbia, after failing to check out. Staff were sent to his room where it was then that his body was discovered. An autopsy completed on July 15 indicated that he died ofalcohol andheroin overdose.[31][32] On July 20, 2013, Ryan Murphy said in various media outlets that Cory would have a tribute in season five's third episode, which would deal with the death of Monteith's character, Finn.[33]
On July 30, 2013, Mays confirmed that she would depart the show after the fifth season to work on other projects, but stated that she would be open to returning as a guest star in the future.[34]
On July 7, 2014, it was confirmed that Rivera and Ushkowitz would be placed on a recurring status for the sixth and final season.[35] On August 28, a website revealed that Amber Riley would once again become a regular along withDot-Marie Jones while Jayma Mays would be on a recurring status.[36]
Ian Brennan conceivedGlee based on his own experience as a member of theProspect High School show choir inMount Prospect, Illinois.[37] He initially envisionedGlee as a film, rather than a television series, and wrote the first draft in August 2005 with the aid ofScreenwritingfor Dummies.[37] He completed the script in 2005, but could not generate interest in the project for several years.[38] Mike Novick, a television producer and a friend of Brennan's from Los Angeles, was a member of the same gym as Ryan Murphy, and gave him a copy of Brennan's script.[39] Murphy had been in a show choir in college and felt he could relate to the script. Murphy and hisNip/Tuck colleague Brad Falchuk suggested thatGlee be produced as a television show. The script was entirely rewritten,[38] and was picked up byFox within fifteen hours of being received. Murphy attributed that, in part, to the network's success withAmerican Idol. "It made sense for the network with the biggest hit in TV, which is a musical, to do something in that vein," he said.[40] Murphy and Falchuk became the show's executive producers and showrunners, Brennan became a co-executive producer and Novick a producer.[40] Brennan, Falchuk and Murphy started by writing "all the episodes".[41]
Murphy has said that he has never seen aHigh School Musical film, to whichGlee has been compared, and that his interest lay in creating a "postmodern musical", rather than "doing a show where people burst into song", drawing more heavily on the format ofChicago.[44] Murphy intended the show to be a form of escapism. "There's so much on the air right now about people with guns, or sci-fi, or lawyers running around. This is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the air at the networks and cable. Everything's so dark in the world right now, that's whyIdol worked. It's pure escapism," he said.[40] Murphy intended to make a family show to appeal to adults as well as children, with adult characters starring equally alongside the teenage leads,[40] and as of October 2009 he had already mapped out plans for the series covering three years of broadcast.[45]
The three creators—Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan—plan the stories together. For the first two seasons, they were the only writers, and after taking joint credit for the pilot episode and the episode that opened the fall 2009 season, they began rotating taking a single auctorial credit, based in large part on the person "who's taken the lead in story breaking or who wrote a draft". Brennan noted that the writing process is "fast and loose, with the emphasis on fast", and quotes Murphy as having said, in terms of their roles in episode creation, "I'm sort of the brain. Brad's sort of the heart. Ian's sort of the funny bone", which Brennan says "is true in a lot of ways". Some of the characters are written more by one writer than by the others. Brennan writes most of Sue's material, and Falchuk frequently writes the scenes between Kurt and Burt Hummel, though Murphy contributes a great deal to Kurt.[46]
The series features numerous songcovers sung onscreen by the characters.[50] Ryan Murphy was responsible for selecting all of the songs used, and has said that he strove to maintain a balance between chart hits and show tunes: "I want there to be something for everybody in every episode. That's a tricky mix, but that's very important—the balancing of that."[39] According to Murphy, the song choices are integral to script development, "Each episode has a theme at its core. After I write the script, I will choose songs that help to move the story along."[51] In a 2010 interview with Allison Kugel,Chris Colfer noted that "there have been a couple of times when I have gone to Ryan Murphy (Glee creator) and told him a couple of things that have happened to me, and then he writes it into the show. Or he'll ask me what song I would want to sing, in this situation or in that situation. I don't think any of us directly try to give input on the character or on the storyline, but they definitely steal things from us."[52] For the second season, a shift toward using moreTop 40 songs was seen, in an effort to appeal more to the18–49 demographic.[53]
Murphy was surprised at the ease with which use of songs was approved by the record labels approached, and explained: "I think the key to it is they loved the tone of it. They loved that this show was about optimism and young kids, for the most part, reinterpreting their classics for a new audience."[50] A minority of those approached refused to allow their music to be used, includingBryan Adams,Guns N' Roses andColdplay; however, in June 2010, Coldplay reversed their decision, allowingGlee the rights to their catalog.[54] Adams posted on his Twitter account that the producers ofGlee had never requested permission from him and urged them to "pick up the phone".[55] Composer and musicianBilly Joel offered many of his songs for use on the show,[56] and other artists have offered use of their songs for free.[57] A series ofGlee soundtrack albums have been released throughColumbia Records. Songs featured on the show are available fordigital download through iTunes up to two weeks before new episodes air, and through other digital outlets and mobile carriers a week later.[45]Glee music producersAdam Anders andPeer Astrom have begun to add original music to the show, including two original songs, "Loser like Me" and "Get It Right", on the March 15, 2011, episode.[58]
Glee is choreographed byZach Woodlee and features four to eight production numbers per episode.[18] Once Murphy selects a song, rights are cleared with its publishers by music supervisor P. J. Bloom, and music producers Adam Anders and Peer Astrom rearrange it for theGlee cast.[45] Numbers are pre-recorded by the cast, while Woodlee constructs the accompanying dance moves, which are then taught to the cast and filmed.[39] Studio recordings of tracks are then made. The process begins six to eight weeks before each episode is filmed, and can end as late as the day before filming begins.[45] Each episode costs at least $3 million to produce,[39] and can take up to ten days to film as a result of the elaborate choreography.[44] In late 2010, Bloom reported the process has been even shorter; "as quick as a few weeks".[53] For the second season, the creators were offered listens of upcoming songs in advance by publishers and record labels, with production occurring even before song rights are cleared.[53]
Prior to the second episode's premiere,Glee's cast went on tour at severalHot Topic stores across the nation.[59] The cast sangthe U.S. national anthem at the third game of the2009 World Series.[60]Macy's invited them to perform at the 2009Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but host broadcasterNBC declined becauseGlee aired on a rival network.[61] Ryan Murphy commented on the cast's exclusion: "I completely understand NBC's position, and look forward to seeing aJay Leno float."[62]
The show's success sent the cast on a concert tour,Glee Live! In Concert! after the first season's wrapup. They visitedPhoenix, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.[63] The cast also recorded a cover ofWham!'s "Last Christmas", which was released as a single in late 2009 but didn't appear in the show until "A Very Glee Christmas" on December 10, 2010.[45] Morrison, Lynch, Michele, Monteith, and Colfer reprised their roles as Will, Sue, Rachel, Finn, and Kurt respectively for a cameo appearance in an episode ofThe Cleveland Show that aired January 16, 2011.[64] Michele, Monteith, and Riley appeared as campers in thetwenty-secondseason premiere ofThe Simpsons.[65]
Lynch, Colfer, Monteith, and Riley appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.[66] When Agron, Michele, and Monteith posed for a set of risqué photos for the November 2010 edition ofGQ magazine,Parents Television Council (PTC) criticized the show; PTC president Tim Winter commented thatGlee has many young fans, and that "by authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show's direction. And it isn't good for families."[67]
The promotional posters for the first season have the show's stars using their right hands to make an "L" to fill in theL of the wordGlee. The second season's promotional posters have the stars throwing slushies at the camera in pairs. The third season's promotional posters have the stars getting dodgeballs thrown at them by Sue Sylvester. While the cast concert tour,Glee Live! In Concert!, began on May 15, 2010, and presented concerts in four cities in the US that month, the second edition, with an almost-entirely new set list, toured for four weeks in the US and Canada from May 21 through June 18, 2011, and followed with twelve days in England and Ireland, from June 22 through July 3, 2011.[68] The cast also performed on theseventh season ofThe X Factor on December 5, 2010.[69]
In 2020, celebrating the show's 11 year anniversary, Ryan Murphy made anInstagram post about his idea of re-doing the show's pilot with Lea Michele,Ben Platt, andBeanie Feldstein. Murphy eventually deleted the post.[70]
In 2021, Fox President Michael Thorn revealed he was interested in reviving past Fox programs, most notably24 andGlee.[71]
In 2022, in an interview with Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz, Ryan Murphy revealed he was interested in re-examining the series as a brand through a reboot or a Broadway musical.[72]
Thefirst season ofGlee consists of twenty-two episodes.[73] Thepilot episode was originally broadcast on May 19, 2009.[74] The series returned on September 9, 2009,[75] airing an additional twelve episodes on Wednesdays in the 9:00 pm timeslot until December 9, 2009, for a total of thirteen episodes.[76] On September 21, 2009, nine more episodes were ordered for the first season byFox,[77] and the first of these episodes was broadcast on April 13, 2010. These episodes aired on Tuesday evenings at 9:00 pm.[78] On January 11, 2010, it was announced that Fox had commissioned a second season of the show. The second season began production in June 2010.[79][80]Season two began on September 21, 2010,[81] airing in the 8:00 pm time slot on Tuesdays, and consists of twenty-two episodes.[82] The show was chosen by Fox to fill the coveted timeslot that followed the network's coverage ofSuper Bowl XLV in 2011,[83] and the network originally planned to move the show to the 9:00 pm time slot on Wednesdays following the post–Super Bowl broadcast.[84] However, Fox later revised its schedule,[85] leavingGlee on Tuesdays in order to concentrate on building up its weaker Wednesday and Thursday line-ups.[86][87] A third season was ordered by Fox on May 23, 2010, before the end of the first season. The early renewal of the show allowed the production team to cut costs and to plan ahead when writing scripts.[88] The third season broadcasts remained in the show's Tuesday 8:00 pm time slot,[89] and began airing on September 20, 2011.[90][91] The show's fourth season changed both date and time of broadcast: it moved to Thursdays in the 9:00 pm time slot, and aired after that evening's 8:00 pm music competition "results" shows—The X Factor in the fall andAmerican Idol in midseason.[92] The show was renewed for both a fifth and sixth season at the same time, on April 19, 2013.[93] Reruns were also syndicated to local US stations from 2013 to 2015.[94]
All the episodes of the series were announced to be arriving onDisney+ in Latin America in February 2021.[108] In the United States, the series was made available on Disney+ andHulu starting on June 1, 2022, following its December 2021 departure from Netflix after over seven years, as well as a year onPrime Video.[109][110]
In theUnited Kingdom,[111]E4 broadcast the first two seasons ofGlee, showing episodes months after they were first aired in the US.Sky 1 broadcast the series starting with the third season, airing episodes two days after their US broadcast.[112] However, the show has come under a trademark dispute in the UK withthe Glee Club, a small chain of independent live stand-up comedy and live music venues. In February 2014, aHigh Court judge ruled that the show "diluted and tarnished" the reputation of the comedy club chain.[113] In a later ruling in July 2014, the High Court ordered Fox to use a different title for the show in the UK, saying there was a "likelihood of confusion" between the two brands. In February 2016, Fox lost an appeal against the decision.[114]
Glee has been released on several DVD and Blu-ray box-sets.Glee – Pilot Episode: Director's Cut features the pilot episode and a preview of the second episode, "Showmance".[130]Glee – Volume 1: Road to Sectionals contains the first thirteen episodes of season one,[131] andGlee – Volume 2: Road to Regionals contains the final nine episodes of the first season.[132]Glee – The Complete First Season was released on September 13, 2010.[133] Three boxed sets were released for the second season:Glee Season 2: Volume 1 containing the first ten episodes on January 25, 2011,[134] and bothGlee Season 2: Volume 2 with the final twelve episode andGlee: The Complete Second Season with all twenty-two on September 13, 2011.[135] All three were released on DVD; only the complete season is available on Blu-ray.
Little, Brown Books has published threeGlee-relatedyoung adult novels, all of which were developed in collaboration with the show's producers and writers.[136] All three have been written by Sophia Lowell; the first,Glee: The Beginning, was released in August 2010 and serves as a prequel to the events of the television series.[137] Subsequent novels includeGlee: Foreign Exchange, released in February 2011,[138] andGlee: Summer Break, released in July 2011.[139]
Halfbrick Studios published a Glee content version of the mobile game Band Stars[142] by Six Foot Kid[143] in collaboration withFox Digital Entertainment[144] on March 27, 2014, currently available oniOS platforms, but with plans to release toAndroid. The game is available for free download with some Glee content available immediately including Kurt Hummel and Will Schuester. 12 characters from the Glee TV show are available for purchase and download in two separate packs. Pack 1 contains: Rachel Berry, Mercedes Jones, Noah (Puck) Puckerman, Jake Puckerman, Sam Evans, and Quinn Fabray. Pack 2 contains: Artie Abrams, Tina Cohen-Chang, Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce and Unique Adams.
The pilot episode ofGlee averaged 9.62 million viewers,[145] and the following eleven episodes attained between 6.10 and 7.65 million.[146][147] The mid-season finale was watched by 8.13 million viewers,[148] with the show returning in April 2010 to a season high of 13.66 million viewers.[149] The following six episodes attained between 11.49 and 12.98 million viewers,[150][151] falling to 8.99 million for the penultimate episode "Funk".[152] Viewing figures rose to 11.07 million viewers for the season finale,[153] givingGlee the highest finale rating for a new show in the 2009–10 television season.[154] Only the first twenty episodes of the first season were accounted for when calculating the season average due to the final two episodes airing outside the traditional sweeps period.[155] On February 6, 2011, after theSuper Bowl,Glee received its highest ever ratings, with over 26.8 million tuning in to see the special episode, with a peak of 39.5 million.[156]
In 2011,Glee generated $2 million advertising revenue per half-hour. In 2012, the show was the fourth-highest revenue earning show of the year, with US$2.83 million ad revenue per half-hour, behindTwo and a Half Men,The X Factor andAmerican Idol.[157]
Glee received aMetacritic score of 78 out of 100 in its first season, based on reviews by eighteen critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[182] It was praised by several critics in year-end "best of" reviews in 2009. James Poniewozik ofTime ranked it the eighth best television show of the year, commenting: "whenGlee works—which is often—it is transcendent, tear-jerking and thrilling like nothing else on TV."[183]Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker ranked it ninth, calling it "Hands down the year's most novel show [and] also its least likely success",[184] Lisa Respers France ofCNN wrote that while ordinarilyGlee's premise would have been "a recipe for disaster", the show has "such quirky charm and bravado that it is impossible not to get swept up".[185] Reviews for subsequent seasons on Metacritic, reflecting their initial episodes, were not quite as good—the second season's score was 76 out of 100 from eleven reviews,r and the fourth season received a score of 73 out of 100 from six reviews.[179] Even with these stellar reviews from a multitude of critics, Glee's later seasons lost millions of viewers.
Variety's Brian Lowry said thatJayma Mays as Emma offered "modest redemption" to an adult cast of "over-the-top buffoons".
Nancy Gibbs ofTime magazine wrote that she had heard the series described as "anti-Christian" by a youth minister, and commented:
It is easy to see his point, if you look at the specifics. ... The students lie, they cheat, they steal, they lust, they lace the bake-sale cupcakes with pot in order to give the student body a severe case of the munchies. Nearly all theTen Commandments get violated at one point or another, while the audience is invited to laugh at people's pain and folly and humiliation. ... It insults kids to suggest that simply watching Characters Behaving Badly onscreen means they'll take that as permission to do the same themselves. ... And it's set in high school, meaning it's about a journey not just to college and career but to identity and conviction, the price of popularity, the compromises we must make between what we want and what we need.[186]
Variety's Brian Lowry was critical of the show's early episodes, highlighting acting and characterization issues and deeming the adult cast "over-the-top buffoons", with the exception of Mays' Emma, who he felt offered "modest redemption".[187] Though he praised Colfer and Michele's performances, Lowry wrote that the show's talent was squandered by its "jokey, cartoonish, wildly uneven tone", deeming the series a "one-hit wonder".[188] Following the show's mid-season finale, Lowry wrote that whileGlee "remains a frustrating mess at times", its "vibrant musical numbers and talented cast have consistently kept it on [his]TiVo must list" conceding that "even with its flaws, TV would be poorer withoutGlee."[189]
AsGlee's initial success pulled in a large audience, John Doyle ofThe Globe and Mail wrote that the early shows "felt fresh, mainly because the motley crew of kids had a kind of square naïveté." Doyle notes that the early success tookGlee away from its original characters and plot, focusing more on celebrity guests. "The gaiety is gone fromGlee. You should have set it in its prime, mere months ago".[190] Matthew Gilbert ofBoston Globe similarly wrote that "It has become a powerful, promotional machine, long on hype and short on the human feeling—the glee—that once made it so addictive."[191]
The show's 754 musical performances, with each performance delivering an individual song or amashup of two or more songs in a single performance, have led to commercial success, with over thirty-six million copies ofGlee cast single releases purchased digitally, and over eleven million albums purchased worldwide through October 2011.[192] In 2009, theGlee cast had twenty-five singles chart on theBillboard Hot 100, the most by any artist sinceThe Beatles had thirty-one songs in the chart in 1964;[193] in 2010, it placed eighty singles on theBillboard Hot 100, far outstripping the previous record.[194] In February 2011,Glee surpassedElvis Presley as the act with the most songs placed on theBillboard Hot 100 chart, though fewer than one-fourth of them have charted for more than one week.[195] The cast performance of "Don't Stop Believin'" was certifiedgold on October 13, 2009, achieving over 500,000 digital sales,[196] and on March 16, 2011, received platinum certification for having sales of over a million.[197] The series' cover version had a positive effect on sales ofRihanna's "Take a Bow", which increased by 189 percent after the song was covered in theGlee episode "Showmance".[196]
However, there has also been critical condemnation of the cast performances. Jon Dolan ofRolling Stone commented thatMatthew Morrison "couldn't rap his way out of a98° rehearsal", andAllMusic's Andrew Leahey wrote thatCory Monteith andDianna Agron "can't sing nearly as well as their co-stars".[198]E! Online's Joal Ryan criticized the show for its "overproduced soundtrack" and complained that many songs rely too heavily on the pitch-correcting softwareAuto-Tune: "For every too-brief moment ofLea Michele sounding raw—and lovely—on a "What a Girl Wants", or Monteith singing a perfectly credibleREO Speedwagon in the shower, there's Michele and Monteith sounding like 1990s-eraCher on "No Air", or Monteith sounding like the Monteith XRZ-200 on the out-of-the-shower version of "Can't Fight This Feeling".[199]
During the second season,Rob Sheffield forRolling Stone noted theBritney Spears andRocky Horror tribute episodes as examples when he laudedGlee and its choice of music. He praised Murphy for his selection and resurrection of "forgotten" pop songs and compared the show's uniqueness to "MTV in its prime" as the embodiment ofpopular culture.[200]
Some artists, includingSlash,Kings of Leon andFoo Fighters, have declined to have their songs used on the show. Murphy has been publicly critical of these refusals, which has led to exchanges in the press between him and a number of artists.[201] The cover ofSir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" in the season four episode "Sadie Hawkins" was particularly criticized byJonathan Coulton for borrowing the melody (and allegedly portions of the recording) of Coulton's rendition of the song without credit or permission.[202][203] Other artists have come forward with allegations ofplagiarism in light of this development.[204] It was reported that musicianPrince had not given permission forGlee to cover his hit "Kiss" before filming the performance of the cover.[205]Gorillaz founderDamon Albarn said onCBC Radio One that he would not let the show cover any Gorillaz songs: "Firstly, write your own songs. Two, have your own identity and stop being the ... slaves of TV producers ... who don't give a shit about you."[206]
Fans ofGlee are commonly referred to as "Gleeks",[207] aportmanteau of "Glee" and "geek". In the summer of 2009, the cast stopped at selectHot Topic stores on a "Gleek Tour" to promote the series' debut.[59] Also in 2009, Fox ran a "Biggest GLEEK" competition, measuring fans'Glee-related activity on social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace, and found that the growth of the fanbase outpaced the network's science-fiction shows.[208] In its initial seasons,Glee was one of TV's mosttweeted-about shows.[209] Fans have recreated many of its musical numbers in tribute to the show, sharing them on YouTube. Based on this trend, show producers included instrumental versions of some songs on the show's soundtracks.[209]
Similarly,Glee fans have created portmanteaus of character couples, such as "Finchel" for Finn and Rachel, "Samcedes" for Sam and Mercedes, "Klaine" for Kurt and Blaine, and "Brittana" for Brittany and Santana. This fact has been referenced in various second-season episodes, notably "Furt", which is itself a coinage for the new stepbrothers Finn and Kurt, and "Rumours".[210][211]
Glee: The Concert Movie, aconcert film based on the four-week North American segment of the 2011Glee Live! In Concert! tour and featuring the cast of the series in performance and backstage, was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on August 12, 2011, for a two-week limited engagement. The film is directed by Kevin Tancharoen.[17]
In summer 2010,Channel 5 in the United Kingdom airedDon't Stop Believing, a reality talent show inspired byGlee's success. The series featured live shows in which established and new musical performance groups competed against each other, performing well-known songs in new arrangements, with viewers voting on the winner.[223] Solo singers were also sought to join a group to represent the United Kingdom on the American glee club circuit.[224][225] Five's controllerRichard Woolfe stated: "There's an explosion in musical performance groups andDon't Stop Believing will tap into that exciting groundswell."[226] The show was hosted byEmma Bunton,[227] who toldThe Belfast Telegraph that she is a "huge fan" ofGlee.[228] The show's judges were formerEastEnders actressTamsin Outhwaite,Blue memberDuncan James, singerAnastacia andHigh School Musical choreographerCharles "Chucky" Klapow.[229]
The Glee Project is areality television series that served as an audition for the main series. Two seasons aired in the summers of 2011 and 2012.[230] The winning prize was a seven-episode guest-starring role inGlee's third season, which was awarded to two contestants,Damian McGinty (Rory) andSamuel Larsen (Joe), with a two-episode role given to the two runner ups,Alex Newell (Wade/Unique) and Lindsay Pearce (Harmony).[231]The Glee Project was renewed for a second season that ran from June 5 to August 14, 2012. This season the winner wasBlake Jenner (Ryder), withAli Stroker (Betty) as runner-up. The show was not renewed for a third season.
On June 7, 2010, UK broadcasterChannel 4 airedGleeful: The Real Show Choirs of America on itsE4 station. The documentary explored the Americanshow choir phenomenon which inspiredGlee.[232] Narrated byNick Grimshaw,[233] it went behind the scenes with real-life glee clubs and detailed celebrity show choir alumni includingLance Bass,Ashton Kutcher,Blake Lively andAnne Hathaway.[234] It was selected as recommended viewing byThe Guardian, with the comment: "it's a fascinating look at the real-life New Directions, and it's equally as crackers as its TV champion."[235] The newspaper's Lucy Mangan reviewed the documentary positively, writing: "It will, one way or another, fill your heart to bursting", and commenting that: "Glee, it turns out, is not a gloriously ridiculous, highly polished piece of escapism. It is cinéma vérité."[236] It was watched by 411,000 viewers, a 2.3% audience share.[237]
A three-episode documentary miniseries about the deaths of threeGlee main cast members – and claiming to investigate the effect of the sudden fame they experienced due to the show on their personal lives – calledThe Price of Glee, was produced in 2022, with people related to the series finding it in poor taste.[238][239]
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^CNC3TV (February 12, 2012)."Glee is on!".@cnc3tv.Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. RetrievedApril 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Lowell, Sophia (August 3, 2010).Glee: The Beginning: An Original Novel (Glee Original Novels) (Paperback). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.ISBN978-0316123594.
^Lowell, Sophia (July 5, 2011).Glee: Summer Break: An Original Novel (Glee (Quality)) (Paperback). Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.ISBN978-0316123600.
^Robinson, John; Stubbs, David; Wright, Jonathan; Nicholson, Rebecca; Hodgkinson, Will (June 7, 2010)."Watch this".The Guardian. UK.Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. RetrievedJune 21, 2010.
^Mangan, Lucy (June 8, 2010)."Cable girl: Gleeful".The Guardian. UK.Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. RetrievedJune 21, 2010.
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