"Glee" may not be the best new show that debuted last year, but I think it is arguably the most fun. Led by Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) - who waxes nostalgic about the heyday of his young singing career - high-school glee club, New Directions, is a sad group of misfits who get terrorized by the popular kids on a daily basis. But in the hands of Mr. Schuester, and with the incredible vocal talent of Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), maybe New Directions has a chance at making it to the regionals competition... if they can survive the evil plotting from rival cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester (played to acid-tongue perfection by Jane Lynch). Overall, this show is fantastic and demonstrates how great musical television can be when done right. The songs on the show are chosen carefully and with love, which results in show-stopping numbers and touching ways of expressing the characters' emotions. If I have to fault this show at all, it's for the occasional unevenness of the story lines and overall tone. The writing, at times, suffers from some identity issues attributable to the very distinct individual styles of the show's three creators and principal writers. For example, I can definitely feel the presence of creator Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck") when the show starts going off the rails to a crazy place where Will's wife, Terri, fakes a pregnancy to hold onto her marriage. For my 2 cents, I think these types of dark subplots feel out of place on a feel-good show like this and only take away screen time from the characters we really want to see, namely the kids and Coach Sylvester. My guess is that these inconsistencies will be ironed out in the show's sophomore season, and as long as they don't get too bogged-down in the gimmicks of having new celebrity-guest stars every week, then "Glee" will keep us all glued to the telly with our feet tapping to the beat.
5 out of 5 stars
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