Disney has confirmed that a reboot of the hit musical comedy Glee is officially in development. The announcement was made in a joint social media post on Wednesday, which declared: "It's Official, Glee is returning." The revival has been ordered and will screen on Hulu, though details about the storyline and casting have not yet been revealed.
Original Series Legacy
The original series aired from 2009 to 2015 and followed a group of high school students in the New Directions glee club as they dealt with issues around relationships, family, sexuality and teamwork. The show made stars of Lea Michele and the late Cory Monteith, who played on-screen couple Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson.
The cast also included Jane Lynch as gym teacher Sue Sylvester, Matthew Morrison as glee club coach Will Schuester and the late Naya Rivera as cheerleader Santana Lopez. Monteith died in 2013 at age 31 from a toxic mix of alcohol and heroin. Rivera died in 2020 at age 33 in an accidental drowning. Another cast member, Mark Salling, took his own life in 2018 at age 35 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
Creator's Involvement
Disney's confirmation comes weeks after series creator Ryan Murphy, who also created American Horror Story and the Netflix series Monster, said he had written a script and contacted some original cast members about returning. In September, Murphy told Entertainment Tonight: "I just finished the script an hour ago. So we have a script, Brad and Ian and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, have written something. I've been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members and it's very sweet."
He added: "They all had a lot of questions but they were very enthusiastic about the idea. Nobody's read it, so we'll see. I vowed to myself that I wanted to write a couple of them to see what people think, particularly the cast, because we were very close when we were making it."
Fan Reactions and Musical Legacy
Fans reacted quickly to the news, with mixed responses. One fan wrote on social media: "Best day of my life," while another said: "Thank god." Another commented: "It better not be a remake," and a fourth wrote: "I swear youre not a real glee fan if you're not excited to watch the train wreck. Glee was already bad when it came out, thats why its fun. I have NO hope of this being good and I am THRILLED."
The show featured performances of songs from musicals such as Grease, Wicked and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as introducing viewers to lesser-known musicals like The Boy from Oz, Promises, Promises and Victor/Victoria. Episodes also paid tribute to artists like Madonna, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Esteemed Broadway stars including Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Idina Menzel and Bernadette Peters made guest appearances over the years.
