On May 19, 2009, a television show about high school kids singing and dancing in a competitive show choir debuted. The cast was full of young, new actors and actresses, some of which who got their start on Broadway. The show ran for a total of six seasons and came to a close in 2015. It tackled many groundbreaking issues and showcased songs across all eras and genres, even breaking a record and surpassing The Beatles for having the most hits on the Billboard Top 100 (207 entries to be exact)! It has officially been ten years since "Glee" first aired.
I have been an avid Gleek since 2012. Picture the geekiest, most awkward pre-teenaged girl you can think of, and that's what I was like seven years ago. At twelve, I was desperate to fit in and "be cool." I was a sight for sore eyes, to say the least.
My sisters, dog, and me circa 2012. Yikes.
I had heard about "Glee" through commercials and had heard a few of the songs, but I was not an avid fan yet. I started watching it in the middle of season 3 and filled myself in about the plot through the Internet. My mom (bless her heart) saw how excited I would get to watch the show every week, but noticed that I didn't start from the beginning. She went to our local video rental store and rented the first two seasons for me. As I reflect on this, I find it a little embarrassing (did I not have anything else to do?), but I finished the first two seasons and was able to catch up to the current episodes in less than a week. I quickly became obsessed with the show and continued to watch it every week until it finished.
"Glee" wasn't only good for the music. Though the ratings don't lie when it comes to the top charts, what made the show special was its cast of misfit characters and relatable storylines. The characters were written so that the audience would want to see them win, and it was so sweet when the New Directions show choir finally won a national championship because (realistically) it took them three years! The plethora of guest stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos, and Miss Britney Spears always kept the audience wanting more! From Rachel Berry, a short, Jewish, loud-mouthed girl with a dream of being on Broadway, to Mike Chang, an intelligent Asian boy who desperately wanted to become a dancer while his father wanted him to become a doctor, the characters showed the audience how amazing it is to be yourself and to follow your dreams.
Without "Glee," I never would have done musical theatre in high school. I wanted to be just like Rachel Berry, and seeing her achieve her dream of starring as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" motivated me even more. If Rachel Berry could do it, so could I.
The diversity in the show was not forced. It was prominent and made the show feel all the more real. It included characters from all ethnicities, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, and even had storylines regarding transgender people. The narratives were interesting and true to life. Showcased were issues of teen pregnancy, coming out of the closet, a car accident, losing competitions, not getting into college, and even attempted suicide. Though some episodes were touchy, they did their job of raising awareness for these issues and helped prevent them from furthering.
However, "Glee" was not always the positive ray of sunshine that its name implies. There were a multitude of feuds between castmates, the most notorious being the feud between Naya Rivera (who portrayed Santana Lopez) and Lea Michele (Rachel Berry). Creator Ryan Murphy once revealed that a lot of the cast did not get along.
The show also dealt with dark losses. In 2017, Mark Salling (who portrayed Noah "Puck" Puckerman) pled guilty for possession of child pornography and faced several years in prison. On January 30, 2018, Salling was found dead from suicide by hanging. Tragedy had also struck in 2013 when male lead Cory Monteith died due to a drug overdose. Fans across the world (including myself) were devastated and our hearts were with Lea Michele, his real-life girlfriend. To this day, his legacy still lives on and he will forever be in our hearts as Finn Hudson, the quarterback.
"Glee, by its very definition, is about opening yourself up to joy," characters on the show stated on multiple occasions. This became the mantra of the series. "Loser Like Me," an original song written for the show, was its anthem, an inspiring song about embracing yourself and overcoming adversities.
While it had its ups and its downs, "Glee" will forever be my favorite show, and I would not be who I am today without it. Its influence has not changed, even ten years later. To the creators, crew, and cast, thank you for an amazing show. Being a part of something special does make you special, as long as you "Don't Stop Believing."
