Reasons Why "Glee" Is The Best Show Ever
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5 Reasons 'Glee' Was, Is And Will Always Be The Best Show Ever

Just because the students of William McKinley High School went off-air in 2015 doesn't mean we've forgotten everything we learned while watching "Glee."

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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph blessed the world when they created Netflix in 1997. What started as a DVD rental company has transformed into an internet service that gives people the ability to binge-watch as little or as many television series and movies they want.

While the movie selection is getting better year after year, especially with Netflix's original movies, I've always been a huge fan of the television series on Netflix because there's an abundance of them; honestly, it would probably take someone at least a decade to get through all of them (I'm not complaining though). Netflix gives people the opportunity to watch television series they haven't seen in a while or series they've never seen, long after they go off-air.

While I'm not a hardcore Netflix-fan - as in, I don't finish a different television series every week - I have watched a number of incredible series, including but not limited to "Gilmore Girls," "Gossip Girl" and "One Tree Hill."

Netflix has given me the opportunity to re-watch the television series I grew up watching, like "Glee," which I recently finished watching for the second time.

I watched "Glee" during my awkward middle school years and said goodbye to the series shortly before I graduated from high school. I loved it the first time but I loved it even more the second time because I picked up on a lot of things I didn't the first time watching it.

The television series may be a little cheesy from time-to-time, but "Glee" was, is and will always be the best show ever due to its diverse cast, inclusiveness, everything it taught me and so much more.

*Spoilers ahead*

1. The series discusses every "taboo" topic known demand

Religion, eating disorders, LGBTQ+, teen pregnancy, bullying, Down Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, disabilities, abstinence, and adoption are just a few of the many topics "Glee" discusses. Here are just a few examples:

Marley Rose developed an eating disorder after Kitty Wilde convinced her she was gaining weight after altering the size of her costumes for a stage production.

The LBGTQ+ representation in this series was amazing. Some of my favorites were Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez and Brittany S. Pierce, Wade 'Unique' Adams and Coach Beiste.

The television series spent nearly a season focusing on Quinn Fabray's journey through pregnancy. It gave a realistic scenario by focusing on a girl who had it all: a boyfriend who was the quarterback of the football team, a solid friend group, she was captain of the cheerleading (referred to as the "Cheerios") and she was the most popular girl in school. Yet, her reputation didn't matter once she got pregnant; if anything, it ruined her life more and "Glee" spent a great deal telling her story. It also discussed the "taboo" topic of adoption when Quinn Fabray ultimately gave her baby, Beth, up for adoption soon after she was born.

Bullying? Where do I start? In the first season, Finn Hudson and Noah 'Puck' Puckerman constantly threw Kurt Hummel in the dumpster. Dave Karofsky made death threats to Kurt Hummel for being gay. Vocal Adrenaline destroyed Coach Beiste's car after he transitioned to a man in the sixth season and became Sheldon Beiste. Every member (and I'm talking every member) of the Glee club was slushied at one point or another. A reoccurring theme in the show was the harassment Will Schuester received from Sue Sylvester up until the very last episode (but honestly, the show wouldn't have been as entertaining had Sue Sylvester been nicer to Will Schuester). The list goes on and on. While being "slushied" was a little unrealistic, students deal with bullying every day.

Becky Jackson was one of the leading characters in the series. Despite the fact that she had Down Syndrome, she was never treated any differently; if anything, people were afraid of her because she was Sue Sylvester's sidekick.

Emma Pillsbury had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the show focused on how it impacted her everyday life. Later in the series, she sought help because it started affecting her relationship with Will Schuester and her overall quality of life.

I'm sure I forgot to mention a few "taboo" topics the series covered, but there are honestly too many to discuss.

2. It teaches people to never give up

The number of times the New Directions got kicked to the curb is hard to believe, but that didn't stop its members and choir director Will Schuester from putting everything on the line and coming back stronger than ever. Will Schuester's time at William McKinley High School would have been a lot easier had he stayed a Spanish teacher or stayed as the director of Vocal Adrenaline later in the series, but he continuously persevered and proved Sue Sylvester wrong for the entirety of the show.

In one season, the New Directions had to win regionals or they would be disbanded due to budget cuts. In another season, the team had to win nationals or they'd be kicked to the curb because Sue Sylvester hated the club and everything they stood for. In the sixth season, there was no telling if the Glee club would ever be revived after Sue Sylvester converted the choir room into a state-of-the-art computer lab and cut the arts programs and funding entirely. But sure enough, Rachel Berry funded the club with the last chunk of change she had from her failed pilot "That's So Rachel," and the New Directions ended up winning it all in the last episode of the series - their second national trophy.

How about the time Rachel Berry bombed her first New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts audition but convinced famed admissions director Carmen Tibideaux to give her a second chance and got into the university? Or how about the third time Rachel Berry had to convince Carmen Tibideaux to admit her into the university after she dropped out to pursue a Broadway career?

Or when dance instructor and failed Broadway star Cassandra July made Rachel Berry's life a living hell and she persevered and passed the class anyway?

Will Schuester and Rachel Berry are the epitome of hard work, perseverance and never giving up.

But we can't forget all of the relationships that took place throughout the show and how many characters fought for their one true love. While many relationships took place throughout the show, Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, Santana Lopez and Brittany S. Pierce, Quinn Fabray and Noah 'Puck' Puckerman, and Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury had the strongest relationships, ones that were long-lasting.

While more of an unknown character due to the fact that she was only in 11 episodes of the last season, Jane Hayward refused to give up on her dream of joining a Glee club when the Warblers rejected her due to its traditional male casting, so she joined the New Directions instead.

The New Directions never gave up. It probably would have made their lives a whole lot easier due to all the bullying and slushies they faced daily, but they beat the odds time and time again and came out on top, time and time again.

3. The Glee kids prove that it's okay to not have everything figured out

Ah, life, the most confusing thing about life. Yes, I meant that.

Life is all about decisions. One decision can greatly impact your future and alter the course of your life. One decision can give you a future of "what ifs" and "if only." The fact that life depends so heavily on every little choice you make makes making decisions all the more terrifying and confusing.

When Rachel Berry got offered the role of a lifetime playing Fanny Brice in a revamp of "Funny Girl," she soon realized she couldn't balance her Broadway schedule with her college schedule, so she made the decision to drop out of college. When she got offered the starring role in her own television pilot, she made the decision to leave "Funny Girl" because she thought the television series would "make" her career. When the pilot fell through, so did her life; she was a wreck. It seemed like the end of the world, people bad-mouthed her and people told her that she made a terrible mistake dropping out of college and that her career was over. Yet, she persevered and came out on top. When her plans fell through, she really didn't have a purpose in life because she didn't know what to do in her spare time, so she went back to Lima and helped Kurt Hummel and Will Schuester coach the New Directions to a national title. When offered the leading role in another Broadway show, starring alongside her ex-arch nemesis and future husband Jesse St. James, she turned down the role and decided to return to New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts to finish her degree. It eventually worked out for her because five years later she won a Tony Award! Rachel Berry proves that even when your life is a mess and you have no idea what the future holds, you have to trust the process and believe that it will work out in the end, just like it did for her.

Another example is Kurt Hummel, who got rejected from New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts the first time but moved to New York City anyway. He landed a job at Vogue and as a waiter and eventually got accepted into New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts. He took a leap of faith, went with his gut and eventually everything worked out in his favor.

Sam Evans had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, so he tried everything. He didn't want to go to college so he tried modeling which didn't work out for him because he didn't want to do drugs like the other models; he became the assistant football coach instead.

Brittany S. Pierce gained early admission into Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in season four after she was dubbed a mathematical genius. In season five, she decided to drop out of MIT because it was ruining her life; she was under a lot of pressure, she was constantly stressed, she didn't enjoy thinking about math all the time and she was unhappy. Although it was a fictional story, she was a student at one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. While many people love a good title, Brittany S. Pierce didn't care; her happiness was more important and she did what was best for her.

Oftentimes, people are judged for making "poor" life decisions, but the thing is, no one has everything figured out. There isn't a rulebook to life; people make decisions - some good and some bad, some that work out and others that fall through. The Glee Club knows all too well that life is confusing and oftentimes, things don't work out exactly as you had planned. Having everything figured out is overrated because it doesn't exist. Anyone who says they have everything figured out is a liar; I can't even figure out what to wear most of the time let alone make a potentially life-altering decision.

4. The cast is one of the most, if not the most, diverse cast on television

Search "Glee" on Google and see for yourself. Unlike most television series, "Glee" never had a picture-perfect cookie-cutter cast, and I LOVE that. While I'd like to believe that casting agents book people for television shows and movies because of their talent, I'm sure looks play a strong role. Look at the cast of "Riverdale" or "Pretty Little Liars" for example. Flawless. Beyond perfect. I have nothing against them, it's just difficult to relate with a television series and its characters when you don't have perfectly arched eyebrows, pin-straight hair and pearly whites like the characters do.

Artie Abrams was in a wheelchair. Wade 'Unique' Adams and Coach Beiste were transgender. Artie Abrams and Becky Jackson wore glasses. Some characters were Jewish, others were African American, one was Latino, many were Caucasian - the list goes on and on.

The world is diverse and it's crucial that diversity is shown in television series and movies. Children should be able to watch television series and movies and see someone who looks like them. It's important that they grow up feeling confident in who they are, not thinking, "I wish I looked like him/her."

Society is so critical of the way people look; watching "Glee" is enjoyable because everyone looks different and their personalities shine in different ways. One thing they all have in common: they're SO talented.

5. It reminds you that you're not alone

Just when you feel like you're the only person in the world dealing with something, watch "Glee." Although it's a fictional television series with fictional characters and a fictional storyline, it's the most real television series to ever air on television. The characters are real. Their stories are real. Their feelings are real. Their obstacles are real. This television series is REAL.

To the creators of "Glee," thank you for giving me and other Gleeks a television series to look forward to every week when it aired on television. Thank you for showing real people and showcasing real stories. Thank you for discussing every so-called "taboo" topic known demand. Thank you for teaching me to never give up and that it's okay to seek help in times of need. Thank you for showing me that it's okay that I don't have everything figured out and that everything will work out the way it's supposed to.

The choir room at William McKinley High School was a safe space for the Glee Club, but it was also a safe space for me and everyone who watched the television series.

"Glee" was, is and will always be the best show ever.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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