For anyone who has ever thought that there is a lack of song and dance on prime time television, the answer has arrived: “Glee.” For the people who think that a show about a glee club is the last thing that they want to be watching, you should give it a chance — it might surprise you. In “Glee,” you should expect some moments of sickening sweetness, but as long as you see it coming, you won’t overdose.
The show airs on Fox at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and more than keeps up with veteran shows. This past Wednesday, Glee had the top spot among viewers, easily the strongest new show this season. The show has also had enormous success selling its music. The covers done on the show including, “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Gold digger,” “No Air” and “Take a Bow” have sold over one million tracks on iTunes. The show has already gained so much popularity there are plans for the cast to go on tour next spring.
“Glee” is about an underdog glee club with hopes to win nationals. The glee club brings together the theater geeks, the misfits and the talented popular kids who, for one reason or another, are going outside of their social sphere to join glee club. Each week provides new drama and musical numbers that easily rival Broadway numbers.
“Glee” shouldn’t be overlooked for its sometimes over-sweetness because it offers something for everyone. It’s an excellent combination of comedy, drama and musical. For lovers of “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.,” there is a good amount of high school drama to keep you entertained. For theater enthusiasts, there is definitely more than enough musical numbers. For comedy fans that love Judd Apatow, there’s something for you as well: Jane Lynch, who you might know better as Paula, Steve Carrell’s character’s awkward manager in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
One of the best aspects of the show is its ensemble cast. The members of the glee club are all the kids that we knew in high school. While the cheerleaders inexplicably wear their uniforms at all times and the outcast lead vocal is far too pretty and talented to have actually been considered an untouchable, the show offers real high school drama without being over the top.
Lea Michele leads the glee club as the sometimes gratingly annoying overachiever, Rachel Berry. What her character lacks in social graces, however, she easily makes up for with her amazing voice. Michele was in the original cast of the Broadway musical “Spring Awakening” and her talent is more than apparent in a sing-off with Broadway veteran, Kristin Chenoweth.
Another standout is Chris Colfer. Colfer plays Kurt Hummel, a boy who, through the glee club, is becoming more comfortable with himself and his sexuality. His imitation of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” dance alone merits watching this show — and I don’t say that lightly. Do yourself a favor and search “glee single ladies on YouTube. It’s pretty fabulous.
In addition to the teen cast, the adults also bring a good dynamic to the show. Jane Lynch’s wry humor, as seen in “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin,” “Role Models” and “Best in Show,” offers an excellent offset to the musical talent. As a Machiavellian cheerleading coach, Lynch’s character, Sue Sylvester, provides many laugh-out-loud moments in her quest to destroy the glee club. She delivers one-liners like, “I like minorities so much, I’m thinking of moving to California to become one” and “I empower my Cheerios to live in fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror.” Her blatant racism and favoritism is hysterical and delivered in the perfect deadpan of self-righteousness that viewers have come to expect from Lynch.
The characters aren’t infallible though, which is what makes the show so watchable. “Glee” doesn’t hit you over the head with stereotypes; the characters are very three-dimensional. They make mistakes. They make choices that are going to have huge consequences and viewers can only hope that the writers do justice to the quality of the show right now by resolving them properly.
“Glee” does an excellent job of staying topical as well as entertaining. The show deals with teen pregnancy, homosexuality and the difficulty of finding out where you belong in a highly cliquey high school. Hopefully “Glee” can keep up its momentum without burning out and becoming overly dramatic as many high school dramas are apt to do.