glee.
What do you get when Ryan Murphy-the creator of the once-delicious FX show “Nip/Tuck”-takes on the world of high school show choirs?
In her review of Fox’s new show, “Glee,” The New York Times’ Alessandra Stanley says:
There are countless ways to characterize “Glee”: “Election” with music, “Bring It On” meets “High School Musical,” or even a lunchroom version of “The Breakfast Club.”
But it’s churlish to point out all the antecedents. The success of a high school comedy doesn’t lie in its originality, but in how cleverly it contorts the classic formula. “Glee,” a new series on Fox, is blissfully unoriginal in a witty, imaginative way …
“Glee” owes a lot to the past, be it cult television shows like “Freaks and Geeks” or movies like “Pretty in Pink” or “10 Things I Hate About You.” But it is also beholden to “American Idol,” a competition that has stirred the self-confidence and ambition of every teenager who warbles in the shower or gets a standing ovation at Karaoke Night. “Glee” celebrates that obsession, but also puts it in its place.
Even viewers who don’t like high school comedies should savor Tuesday’s episode of “Glee.” It serves as a much needed Armagnac after the gooey chocolate soufflé that is “American Idol”: a digestif that is sweet, but also dry and stinging.
I happened to love it. Pilots are always ten times worse than subsequent episodes because they’re usually filmed separately in an effort to get initial distribution; thus, less dimension, more shock value. If the pilot for this show is so good, I can only imagine what the future will bring. Spring Awakening’s Lea Michele is as delicious in “Glee” as she was in the musical (example). She commits fully to a role very reminiscent of-sorry for another Election reference-Tracey Flick. And any show containing full-out musical productions of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” gets a thumbs up from me.
Luckily, Hulu has the full pilot up so you can judge for yourself. The show doesn’t go live until the fall; someone at the network deserves a raise for an effective bit of buzz-building.
Originally published at scott anthony. Please leave any comments there.