As the decade comes to an end we all need to take the time to appreciate some of the phenomenal TV shows that have been and gone. Regardless of the genre, we’d argue it’s a golden period for television, whether it’s Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones that tickles your fancy.
Today, though, we’re going to take a deep dive into a show that was a little bit different: Glee. It burst onto the scene with a whole new attitude, with a concept that, while not particularly unique in its style, seemed to take on a life of its own.
From the music to the characters to the fans, it has quite the legacy.
Will Schuester
Will was the glue that held the New Directions together and, in reality, the force that started off the whole project to begin with.
He certainly had a series of ups and downs throughout the course of the series, but for the most part, he was one of the more entertaining characters in all of Glee.
He had a lot of range and that’s the kind of thing you need when attempting to lead a group like New Directions to glory.
Plus, he and Emma were really, really cute together.
The First Few Seasons
Every show kind of falls off the edge of a cliff as time goes on, and while that wasn’t exactly the case with Glee, it certainly declined as we got closer and closer to the season finale.
The first few seasons served as the foundation for what Glee actually was and what the show represented. They needed to build up the idea that they were going to make the idea of the Glee Club cool again, and as the years went on, it felt like they were able to establish that idea fairly successfully.
Rachel & Finn
The tragic nature of Cory Monteith’s death certainly threw a spanner in the works for the development of the show, but one thing that’ll never change is the phenomenal legacy of Rachel & Finn’s love for one another.
Their romance in the show was unconventional, but you could see it coming from a mile away even from the very first episode – and we mean that in a good way.
They were the two leads on this crazy, crazy journey, and it was amazing to see them go through so many trials and tribulations.
The Message
The overriding message was one that was very simple and true: everyone matters.
Glee chose to deal with a variety of issues including race, LGBT matters, bullying and so much more. It was an inclusive show that taught us all it’s okay to be who you want to be. That’s a really strong message to send to an audience base which, for the most part, focused on young people.
We all need a way to escape from time to time, and Glee provided many of us with that escape.
Alternative Covers
Most of Glee’s best work was done in covers, and that’s probably because most of their work was covers.
One of the things we loved oh so much about this was how different many of the covers were. Glee decided to take on a whole new style for any given song depending on what the original was like, whether it be through the vocals or the pace at which it was sung. This was one of the things Ryan Murphy did really well during the show’s run.
Nice & Balanced
Any and all great TV shows need to share out the highs with the lows – and boy oh boy did Glee have a lot of lows.
For every great achievement or moment there was a period of self-reflection, failure, or disappointment. They allowed us to take a look at the pros and cons of high school life and what comes after it because all of that kind of stuff is important.
Youngsters need to understand both sides of the coin, or else what are we really preparing them for?
Competitions
Whether it be Regionals, Nationals or some other form of competition, we always really enjoyed it whenever the time came for the New Directions to take to the stage and perform to the masses.
Things didn’t always necessarily go their way, and because of that, it made for some entertaining viewing.
Nobody really knew whether the New Directions would succeed or fail, which again, is an important lesson to be teaching the audience.
This especially rings true for the first few competitions, because it legitimately felt like a huge moment as they gathered together to try and make some magic happen.
Sue Sylvester
Sue was the anomaly for much of the series in the sense that she wasn’t someone who would bow down to Will or accept the formation of the Glee Club. She was positioned as the villain for large portions of the show and, for the most part, nobody really had all too many issues with that.
She was an entertaining foil for Will and the gang and that’s exactly what they needed. It almost gave fans a break from the unicorns and rainbows nature of much of the dialogue, mainly because Sue was very black & white.
Kurt & Blaine
The relationship between Kurt and Blaine went through a whole lot of issues, and you could even argue that the show threw one too many curveballs at us over the years. In the end, though, we just completely fell in love with their story as they fell in love with one another.
They enjoyed a bond that always led them back to one another and while their story changed as time went on, that didn’t make it any less intoxicating.
We all love a happy ending, don’t we?
Loser Like Me
“Loser Like Me” served as Glee’s first major venture into making original songs of their own, and in this instance, they truly did knock it out of the park.
It’s not like we’re calling it the song of a generation or anything like that, but you’ve got to admire them for taking a chance and giving themselves a bit more diversity.
The build-up to them creating their own song made it all the more entertaining, too, because we didn’t really know what to expect from the finished product.
“Loser Like Me” summed up the show in all of its glory.
