Tired of the same old science fiction TV shows or the less than entertaining sitcoms that aren't even funny? Enter Glee, the most original show in years- at least in my opinion.
I was truly excited when I first heard of the premise and knew it was going to be something special; especially since it's the latest brainchild of the creators of the delightful "Nip/Tuck." FOX also added a distinct appeal to "Glee" after a clever move of airing the pilot after an episode of the most watched show on television, American Idol, giving us all a sneak peak of this yet-to-air series. Hopefully, the rest of the season will continue during the fall season in September. I know I'm sitting on the edge of my seat looking forward to it all.
The show revolves around an unpopular Glee club (a musical theater choir) at the fictional William McKinley High School in Ohio. When the old instructor gets fired, the school's Spanish teacher- Mr. Schuester- volunteers to head the Glee club and give it a new direction so that it doesn't get shut down. He has tryouts for new members and selects five of the best candidates, although he still thinks there is something missing to make it more popular. He tries to get new members from the cheerleading and football team but to no success, that is until he discovers one of the jocks singing in the shower and deceivingly pressures him to join because of his great undiscovered talent. I don't want to ruin anymore of the show, but something's for sure, it is different.
The characters are just amazing, and the casting is superb; although it mostly consists of new faces. The actors play their part flawlessly and give the characters a unique tone and refreshing twist. "Glee" shares the same witty and dark sense of humor that makes "Nip/Tuck" so unconventional and entertaining.
What defines "Glee" are the musical numbers and the choreography in each episode. Each episode costs at least $3 million to produce and can take up to 10 days to film as a result of the elaborate choreography. An average episode features five to eight production numbers, balanced between show tunes and well-known chart hits. In the pilot alone, the songs that were featured included I Kissed A Girl, Rehab, Mister Cellophane from "Chicago", Where Is Love from "Oliver", and Don’t Stop Believing.
It doesn't stop there, the producers have also come up with a unique aspect to the show; the songs featured on each episode will be available on iTunes immediately after the episode has been aired; definitely be prepared to catch the "can't get the song out of my head" syndrome!
Fun Facts:
*Glee was actually written with an intention for it to be a movie, but executive producer Ryan Murphey believed the concept would work better as a TV series.
*After the pilot aired and the songs were ready for download on iTunes, the cast's version of "Dont Stop Believing" reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart!
*Fox picked up the series pilot within 15 hours of receiving the script! Scripts usually take months or even years to be green-lit and approved by television studios.
*Glee is already nominated for three Teen Choice Awards (which will air in August): Choice TV: Breakout Series, Choice TV: Breakout Star Male (Cory Monteith), and Choice TV: Breakout Star Female (Lea Michele)
Here's for hoping that the show does well in the ratings and gets picked up for a full season; even though I'm pretty sure they will.
– Abdulla Al-Mulaifi.
Images: FOX
