"Glee" - Sings a New Tune on Television

For several weeks now I had ignored D's suggestion of watching "Glee". Not because of what some might think is a typical male resistance to anything musical. I was fortunate to earn my degree in a school that had a fine musical theatre program, and as a non-musical theatre major I was still required (i.e. forced) to audition for every musical our department produced. That effort taught me to appreciate musical theatre... to this day I'm a confirmed Sondheim fan.

No my resistence came from my memories of t.v. shows past that tried combining music with dramatic action. In 1990 we got Steven Bochco's "Cop Rock" and more recently "Viva Laughlin"; neither of these shows rang true with audiences, so they were quickly discarded into the pop culture wastebasket. It appeared that music had no place on t.v. except for on award shows or another attempt to revive the variety show format (I think Rosie O'Donnell finally put the variety show out of its misery).

"Glee" is something different. The show revolves around a group of misfit high school students that belong to the school's glee club. What a perfect setup to work the music organically into the plot lines. But the music isn't only a function of the kids' glee club performances, music is used to communicate character subtext. I can't explain how amazed I was with what I watched in the first two episodes of "Glee" - the first five episodes are available on hulu.com - for those interested in catching up.

The characters are certainly stock - the jock, the cheerleader, the nerd, etc. But these characters are so well defined and the music so well presented that the whole is better than the parts. My favorite characters are the obsessive compulsive guidance counselor (she's afraid of germs, so she constantly cleaning and washing her hands), and the school principle (he's always looking to turn a situation to his advantage). I can't express how great of a t.v. show this is... just check it out and you'll hear the difference.