Fall TV Preview: Glee

Get our reviewer's take on Fox's musical comedy: Should you watch or pass?

Glee (Fox)

Premiere: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 9-10 p.m.
Time-Slot Competition: The Beautiful Life, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds
Cast: Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Mark Salling, Dianna Agron
Status: We've seen the first three episodes.

Should you watch Glee? Read on...

Glee is top-notch TV. Should you watch? Hell yes.

If you've been living under a rock, you should know that Glee is the story of a scrappy Midwest high school glee club made up of lovable losers (and later lovable, but morally misguided, popular kids) who struggle to win in a world that tells them to give up on their dreams. Created by Ryan Murphy (Popular, Nip/Tuck), the show features a series of song covers and dance numbers that pull from the popular songs of the day. For example, the glee club coach is married to a materialistic lying whore (just so we're clear), and to highlight the coach's plight, the club does a cover of Kanye West's "Gold Digger."

If you haven't been living under a rock, and you're already a hard-core Gleek, then perhaps you want a preview of what's to come? The next two eps, "Showmance" and "Preggers," amp up the drama majorly. For one thing, glee club star Rachel Berry's (the ridiculously, astonishingly, heartbreakingly good Lea Michele) diva tendencies act up, and thanks to the machinations of crazy-good villain Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), Rachel gets tempted over to the dark side. Yep, Rachel ankles glee for the musical theater club, not least because someone in glee broke her heart.

Oh, did we neglect to mention that two crazy love quadrangles emerge? The center ring of this romantic circus focuses on the young'uns: Rachel likes Finn (Cory Monteith) who has a thing for Quinn (Dianna Agron) who has a past with Mohawk-sporting Puck (Mark Salling). But a major sideshow over in the teachers lounge is football coach Ken Tanaka (True Blood's Patrick Gallagher) who wants school counselor Emma (Jayma Mays) who likes Spanish teacher/glee club coach Will (Matthew Morrison) who is married to be-yotch Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig).

And we didn't call the love quadrangles a circus for nothing, because very quickly the adults start meddling with the teens in a superinappropriate way, and you will suddenly remember, oh yes, this is a Ryan Murphy show, he who brought us the depravity and excess of latter-day Nip/Tuck. We're a leetle worried, to be quite honest, that the outrageous plotlines will suck away time from quieter, more genuine stories like glee club singer Kurt Hummel coming out to his father, but we're hoping the cast and crew will pull it out in the end.

This is a tremendously talented group of people who are doing us all a great service by putting their artistry on display. The least we can do is be grateful...and watch.

Verdict: Do you really have to ask? (Watch!!!)

 

Poll

Fall TV Preview 2009: Glee

Glee?

Watch

Watch

82.2%

DVR

DVR

10.9%

Pass

Pass

6.9%

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