Sometimes when you’re in a relationship you wind up watching some shows that you probably wouldn’t watch if you were single. I introduced my wife to shows like The Shield, Oz, True Blood, and Breaking Bad, and she has loved every one of them, and she introduced me to many as well, especially Glee.
Glee is a blast. There have been other shows in the past that feature singing and dancing, like Cop Rock, and most recently Viva Laughlin, but none of them have had any success. Glee has broken that curse with a vengeance. Besides the ratings, there have been top selling albums, concert tours, Glee karaoke nights at bars, and self described Gleeks all over the world.
The show seems like it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but anybody that knows anything about Broadway knows different. The cast is lead by veterans of the great white way like Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and Jenna Ushkowitz, with support from some amazing guest stars like Neil Patrick Harris, Idina Menzel, & Jonathon Groff. The ironic thing is that the best character on the show hardly ever sings (other then twice – Vogue & Physical). Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester is delightfully devious. Her quick witted quips toward her self described enemies are always punctuated with a surly comment to make herself laugh, and we laugh along with her. The meaner she gets, the more fun she is to watch. Jane Lynch has been a dry witted ad-libing comic actress for years and it’s about time she got the focus she deserves.
The real star of the show is the music. The choice to use popular songs instead of original material has become the life blood of the series. Their renditions of songs we’ve all known for years have been nothing short of a whole lot of fun. Don’t Stop Believin’, Somebody to Love, Proud Mary, True Colors, a merely a few. There was even an entire episode dedicated to Madonna. As well as a Lady Gaga episode that also honored Gaga’s fashion sense that has taken the music world by storm.
Glee came out of nowhere. The best thing the producers did was wet the whistle of fans by showing the pilot months before the premiere of the series. Once the show started it hit the ground running, with a vengeance. Glee just exploded. Within 2 weeks of the beginning of the series FOX ordered a full season. The cast had 25 singles at once on the Billboard top 100, almost breaking the Beatles record of 31, and they have been invited to and sang at The White House.
It is set as musical, dramedy that captures the heartfelt emotions of being a teenager, and a teacher, but it is much more. There so many great moments that makes the show more then a singing venue. Quinn’s pregnancy, Rachel finding her mom, Mr. Shue’s horrible marriage to a crazy lady, and Kurt’s coming out to his understanding father are just a few. Even the surprising revelation in the season finale that Sue Sylvester has a heart was wonderful.
A few of my friends will probably make fun of me enjoying this show, and writing about it, but I don’t care. I’m thankful to my wife for introducing me to Glee, so I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m now a self confessed Gleek.
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