glee
This is a movie blog. But I'm gonna talk TV for a second.Can I tell you how much I love, love LOVE Glee?
I don't watch a whole lot of TV. That's partly because I've got lots to do; partly because I hate commercials; but mostly because, frankly, TV is crap lately.
Not Glee. Only four episodes into its first season, Glee is on the FOX network (home of some of my three least favorite shows). In contrast to FOX's normal fare of escalating torture-based serials and tired reality shows, Glee incorporates humor, drama, and goosebump-y music in a way we've not seen in ages. Matter of fact, have we ever seen a television musical series that was actually good?
Glee centers on a high school teacher (played by Broadway vet Matthew Morrison) who is trying to relive some past glory by putting together a kickass show choir. The thing is, the fabulously singing students are a bunch of... well, freaks. The brat, the stutterer, the flaming gay boy, the sassy black chick, the jock, and the kid in the wheelchair are all relative unknowns. A few have done stints on Broadway here and there, or bit parts on the odd TV show, but this is the first time most of us have ever seen them. Together, they're absolutely magic.
The cast is rounded out by some fantastic villians: Jessalyn Gilsig (don't you remember Ms. Davis from Boston Public?) plays the teacher's spoiled wife, and the scene-stealing Jane Lynch is a nefarious cheerleading coach who wants nothing more than the demise of our little glee club.
If you haven't caught this show yet, it's on Wednesday nights on FOX... and you should definitely catch up by watching the first four episodes on Hulu. It's free, and no, Dad, it won't put a virus on your computer.
For now, enjoy Glee's football team and their rendition of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies".
September 28, 2009 at 1:50 PM
I'm such a gleek too! I rewatch the musical numbers from previous episodes all the time. My mom and people she works with talk about it. I love it.
September 28, 2009 at 2:25 PM
I've been diggin' this show since its premiere and it's one of the few shows where I can't wait to see the next episode.
Funny thing...one thing that went through my head as I watched FAME this weekend, was how the songs seemed a tad forced. They didn't seem to happen at a natural moment in the story...something that Glee actually does quite well.
September 28, 2009 at 6:09 PM
I've already written my own thoughts on Glee, so you know I agree with you, but...
Gotta disagree with TV being crap lately. There's a lot of good stuff out there: Lost, How I Met Your Mother, The Office. And those are just the shows I happened to stumble upon.
You could attack the Fox network for not putting out anything good in awhile, but Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles (may she rest in peace) was fantastic, as is Joss Whedon's newest project Dollhouse.
Reality based programming can seem to dominate most networks, but there are some really good non-reality shows out there. Unfortunately, the people who would really enjoy them don't tune in precisely because they've had the message 'there's nothing good on' burned into their skulls. I mean Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Terminator were all cancelled while Two and a Half Men lives on.
I'll save my rant for how 24 and Family Guy can be amongst your least favorite shows for another time.
October 5, 2009 at 3:36 PM
I'm also a gleek! Did you see last week's ep? Kristin Chenowith was a show-stealer. I watched the exchange between her, Tina and Mercedes like a dozen times.
Such a fun little show.