Glee, Premier after Idol 19MAY09 Options

[buckbeakbabie]

Hey Gleeks!

How awesome is this show?

I am loving it, really loving it.

And Josh Groban was hilarious. He likes a blowsey alcoholic, dontcha know.

And the full season pickup did make me very Gleeful indeed. I bounced around my living room.

[buckbeakbabie]

OH!

And how AMAZING is 'Somebody to Love'?

It gave me chills.

[Raycheetah]

Hey Gleeks!

How awesome is this show?

I am loving it, really loving it.

And Josh Groban was hilarious. He likes a blowsey alcoholic, dontcha know.

And the full season pickup did make me very Gleeful indeed. I bounced around my living room.

Beaky Beaky Beaky!

Nice to seeya out and about!

Umm... Gleeks? I get it, but it sounds like the sound you hear right after the mousetrap goes "snap!" =0[.]o=

[DarthMarley]

Those bastards at FOX are purging all the clips though!

It is totally not "my kind of show" but it is so well done I have to love it.

I think tomorrow's episode is "Preggers."

I wonder what it will be about?

[buckbeakbabie]

Beaky Beaky Beaky!

Nice to seeya out and about!

Umm... Gleeks? I get it, but it sounds like the sound you hear right after the mousetrap goes "snap!" =0[.]o=

Hey Ray!

Decided to poke my head out.

Hee, it was one of the promos. Like 'geek' but for Glee club. Had the characters confessing to being 'Gleeks.'

Those bastards at FOX are purging all the clips though!

It is totally not "my kind of show" but it is so well done I have to love it.

I think tomorrow's episode is "Preggers."

I wonder what it will be about?

Boo! Its bad enough I can't actually pay for the songs. I want to!! I totally would, but I'm in Ireland and they're not for sale on our iTunes.

I love it, it's so funny and the cast are all insanely talented. And adorable, are you following them on Twitter? they're so cute!

Yupyup, I have a theory based on some things that I read about, but am trying to stay (mostly) unspoiled. I peeked at some things over the summer though because I was so damn impatient for more Glee.

[buckbeakbabie]

Oh, wow, loved this week!

It was much better than last week, although I liked last week's too. All the cast on twitter were saying this ep is a favourite with the cast/crew and I can see why...

[DarthMarley]

It is totally unbelievable, but funny and quirky.

[buckbeakbabie]

It is totally unbelievable, but funny and quirky.

Yes, this!

I adore that they're possibly going the route of one of my all time favourite cheesy soap plotlines.

Anyone ever watch Sunset Beach? It was US soap that we got over here and I used to watch it when I was at home sick from school. Anyway, Caitlin lost a baby and pretended to be pregnant and someone stole a baby for her. (Of course, it was her mother's baby, and the father was her husband and it was so OTT it was awesome....)

[DarthMarley]

We know from spoilers that Will's not pregnant wife will somehow become the school nurse.

[Raycheetah]

Cue the music:

‘Don’t Stop Believing’ in ‘Glee’
by John P. Hanlon

When the new Fox show “Glee” (Fox Wednesdays at 9/8 c) had a special sneak preview premiere in the spring, many television critics loved it. It had a unique and exciting premise, quirky characters and a spirit of fun and outlandishness that is often missing in contemporary comedy shows. With its musical interludes, it also seemed like a great addition to the Fox schedule that will soon, once again, include the hit reality show “American Idol.” Unfortunately, the first three new episodes of “Glee” that have aired this fall have not lived up to the high expectations that the outstanding sneak preview premiere created for the show, causing some disappointment. However, “Glee,” even with its faults, is still a fun and unique comedy with a great cast and an engaging premise.

As can be expected from the title, the show is about a high school glee club. The show began with a high school teacher Will Schuester (the immensely likable Matthew Morrison) realizing how much he loved performing in his own glee club and wanting to inspire a new glee club of students. The show revolves around that ragtag group of singers as they work together under the leadership of Schuester.

The show itself is bursting with quirky and fun characters including the deliciously conniving cheer-leading coach Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch) who plots to destroy the glee club and Schuester’s well-meaning but manipulative wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) . In addition to Sylvester and Terri Schuester, the supporting cast is full of such unique secondary characters that it rivals shows like “The Office” for its strong ensemble cast. When the show had its sneak preview in the spring, critics applauded it. Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker wrote the following about the show in May: “Has there ever been a TV show more aptly named than Glee? It both embodies and inspires exactly that quality.” A Boston.com article in that same month noted that “the dominant note in ‘Glee’ is comedy, the production numbers are vibrant, and the cast is consistently winning. If Murphy can make the rest of the series as persuasive as the pilot, he may have a lot of people feeling ‘Glee’ in the fall.”

Several months later, the show has been a bit disappointing in its newest episodes that have aired this fall. Variety.com writer Brian Lowry recently wrote the following about such disappointment:

The promise and energy associated with the debut of “Glee” last spring largely evaporates in previewing two additional hours, where the musical numbers — generally less infectious and buoyant than the first time out — can’t compensate for overly broad characterizations and absurdly soapy situations…

Put simply, “Glee” strikes too many sour notes for a series with precious little margin for error.

I can completely understand Lowry’s analysis about the show and I agree that the spring episode of the show stands high above the recent episodes of the program in terms of quality. After hitting a high note in its spring episode, the show has admittedly suffered. Now, it seems to be struggling to find its full unique identity.

However, call me an idealist but I do continue to support the show in spite of its weaknesses. The show has a strong cast, which includes a sensational villain in Jane Lynch’s Sylvester and a great premise that can carry it through its rough early episodes. The show continues to be humorous and unique in its exploration of the formation of the glee club and I am looking forward to see more of it in the coming weeks.

Although the show is not as funny as it was in its sneak preview, it is still a hysterical show that TV Guide’s Matt Roush recently described as “that rarest of rarities in network prime time: an absolute original, an authentic musical comedy that’s as outrageously funny as it is irresistibly tuneful.”

At the conclusion of the preview episode of “Glee,” after the teacher leading the glee club leaves his post, the group of glee club students sing “Don’t Stop Believing” onstage as a newly formed team. Unsurprisingly, at the end of the song, the teacher returns to the team ready to believe in the glee club and their mission once again.

Despite its faults, “Glee” (the show, like the club itself) remains something that is worth believing in.

Source articles and reviews are hyperlinked in the text.

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[DarthMarley]

Tonight's episode "Wheels" was the best episode so far.

An exploration of overcoming adversity with a few twists that change how some of the characters are judged.

[utkari02]

Very enjoyable episode last night. I really love that they are actually exploring their characters. Multi-Dimensional characters really are key to a successful show. Looking forward to next week.