Megan Sheel 

Contributor 

Photo Via Disney +

(Students from various colleges in Montreal were interviewed about their opinions of the show for the article.)

The hit television show, Glee, aired over fifteen years ago, becoming an instant cult classic and gaining a fan base of “gleeks” who tuned into every episode, bought merchandise, and even attended concerts. Keeping true to the times, Glee feels like a relic of teenagehood in 2009 to 2015, including its fashion, music, and pop culture…the good, the bad, and the embarrassing. The wholesome idea of a group of misfits brought together by their shared love of singing is the focus of the show.

“I would say it’s kind of advanced for its time,” explains Audrey Belanger. Characters of various different ethnicities, sexualities, and races were hard to find on television in the early 2010s, but Glee starred characters that broke out of Hollywood stereotypes. However, like all shows directed by Ryan Murphy, Glee is filled with raunchy comedy that most agree would never pass today. “When it comes to dark humour, I feel like if stuff that was said in the show was said now it would be taken really differently,” says Audrey, which begs the question: should Glee have aired to begin with? 

Jade Gagné expresses,“The show basically tells all the jokes we say in our heads. It’s so problematic that it feels ‘free’ to see this in a show which is loved as much as this one is.” Whether it be Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, saying she does not want to be “visually assaulted by uglies and fatties” or simply nicknaming the character Kurt Hummel “porcelain,” the character of Sue is nothing if not offensive. If her character was a real person today, she would probably be cancelled. However, her unapologetic honesty and hatred for the glee club in the show has made her a fan favourite. Kacy Seguin calls herself the “biggest Sue fan ever,” explaining that the character “speaks the truth all the time.” Bianca Melocco describes Glee as “absolutely necessary for our culture,” but if it’s known that Glee wouldn’t be appropriate today, why does it gain so many fans over a decade past its release? 

Will Shuester, played by Matthew Morrison, says, “You’re all minorities, you’re in the glee club.” For some reason this resonates with the show’s brand and, although it’s a stupid line, perhaps it is why the fan base is still going strong a decade since its release. We watched the glee club get slush thrown in their faces for being losers, but Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) is right when she says, “You want to be a loser like me.” Watching these characters get relentlessly bullied and persevering nevertheless, is nothing short of inspiring. Viewers want to see them succeed no matter how many times they are ridiculed.

The characters, despite being over the top, have realistic traits that the viewer can feel connected to. “They’re so flawed and lowkey awful,” explains Berlynne Steenbergen, “characters become real when they fail and if a character is perfect I don’t believe it.” 

In season 2, episode 3: Grilled Cheesus, Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) becomes a devout Christian after burning the face of Jesus Christ into his grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of praying for his stepfather who is in a coma, he prays for his personal wishes. Although it seems obvious that praying for his stepfather would be the right thing to do, Finn’s selfishness appeals to viewers who also relate to having personal desires that appear important in the moment. 

The show is beloved by many viewers because they can relate to the characters on the screen. When watching Glee, Mackenzie Stone recognizes that “each character has to go through different stepping stones, it kind of made me reflect on my own life.” For example, when Santana (Naya Rivera) came out, Mackenzie says, “I related to that so much because I also didn’t want to believe I was a certain sexuality.” As some feel serious connections to the characters, other viewers relate to the more comedic aspects of the show. “Brittany is an idiot and a genius at the same time,” expresses Kacy, “I feel like she’s just like me.”

Julia Ellis notes that “celebrities were begging to be on the show because it was so fun,” which led to Glee having an abundance of fun guest stars. “You don’t rock with Holly Holiday the way I do,” Julia says about Gwyneth Paltrow’s guest appearance on the show as the substitute teacher. 

Some argue that there hasn’t been a show like Glee since its release. All over social media, such as on TikTok and Instagram, people have been actively craving a reboot of the show, calling it a Gleeboot. “It’s objectively a bad show,” explains Julia, “but it touches on so many topics that were deemed too controversial at the time.” As a response to the show’s great soundtrack, she says, “We need that again, it makes me so mad when someone hates on the show.” 

Since Glee has contributed so much to the culture, especially for Gen Z viewers, could a Gleeboot be necessary for the next generations?