Glee ran from 2009 to 2015, and it served as something of a cultural touchpoint for people of a certain age. For those of us who were older, we looked on in horror, thinking, “Is this what entertainment has become?” and “Is everybody in the world mentally ill except for me?” and “Why is everybody gay?”
The show followed the members of a high school glee club, New Directions, as they navigated social issues like sexuality, family, and race. Over 120 episodes were produced, and it pretty much launched the careers of Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester), Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel), and Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson). It was also a launchpad for TV Supergirl Melissa Benoist.
There was tragedy when cast member Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson) died from a drug overdose.
Scandal also surrounded the show when Mark Salling (Noah “Puck” Puckerman) was arrested in December 2015 and charged with possessing and receiving tens of thousands of child sexual abuse images. He pleaded guilty in 2017 to one federal count of possession of child pornography but died by apparent suicide in January 2018 before he could be sentenced.
None of this seems to deter talk of a possible revival. While doing promotion for his new FX series The Shards, producer Ryan Murphy talked about making a follow-up. Speaking with People, Murphy said:
“That show is interesting because it’s come back around. So many young people now watch it. And I’m like, ‘Maybe we should revisit that show’. My nostalgia and love for that show is enough that I’m like, ‘Well, maybe people would like to see a new incarnation of that in some capacity.’ So yeah, I love that show, and I loved what it became and what it meant to so many people.”
Since Glee, Murphy has worked on shows such as Monster, American Crime Story, and The Politician.
