Glee TV Series Review

Glee is the American musical comedy drama that is a massive hit overseas and has become something of a cult following.

It has been described as High School Musical for adults.

“We are really putting the cart before horse in this show,” says Glee star Jane Lynch. “It is like the most widely anticipated show.”

“And it's a little more mature,” continues Mark Salling. “It's kind of like High School Musical went off to college experimented a little bit - had some fun, took some drugs, had to get a corporate job… something like that.”

“Everyone is a lot more accepting of it now,” says Matthew Morrison. “That is why we are able to do a TV show like this. Music shows in the past have been, like, epic failures.”

It is the singing, dancing, darkly humoured comedy which - to the surprise of most - has taken the television world by storm.

The statistics are impressive. More than 25 million people viewed the first episode. It was Fox's highest rated new series. In fact, Fox picked up the series pilot just 15 hours after reading the script.

More than 750,000 fans are dedicated to its Facebook and MySpace pages. After only three episodes six of the show's songs have already made it into iTunes top 100 downloads.
So why is the show so successful?

“I think the writing is really witty. I think it works because we don't take ourselves too seriously,” explains Morrison. “You know the show is about optimism and I think we are in a world right now that kind of needs that outlet and kind of gleefulness, you know.”

Created by the team behind Nip Tuck, the show focuses on the rather geeky but endearing high school show choir known as the Glee Club.

“I think what makes a different to High School Musical is the adult storylines,” says Morrison. “It focuses a lot on the adult characters and how the adults mesh with the kids and I think that's very interesting.”

Matthew Morrison plays the optimistic director of the choir who is determined to restore it to its former glory.

But the dramas there, at times, have nothing on the antics of his workmate with a crush and his psychotic wife.

“It's an interesting little triangle right there,” continues Morrison. “Mostly if you saw a show and a guy was thinking about cheating on his wife you'd think ‘oh my god, that guy is such a jerk.’ But on my show my wife is so despicable everyone is... you want it. You are rooting for me to have an affair.”

Morrison admits in real life he was never a geek at school - quite the opposite. He was your all American prom King, class president and athletics champ.

However, according to the character who plays Puck the bully he is not really acting at all.
“I'd like to say I'm even meaner in real life though,” says Mark Salling. “So I had to tame it a little bit, pull it back.”

But the character everyone really loves to hate is Sue Sylvester – played by Jane Lynch. The overzealous and often inappropriate head coach of the cheerleaders.

“There is this ensemble comedy movement in television that is really great,” says Jane Lynch. “I guess there is always going to be a star who rises to the top, but basically it's being a team and the best joke wins and everybody plays support to everybody else and I love that. And is definitely what we have in this show. It’s an ensemble. “

The stars say Glee is not one of those guilty pleasures. It’s naughty and nice.

This Glee TV Show review is brought to us by this site c/o Amanda Gillies.