'Don't Stop Believing' in 'Glee'

When the new Fox show “Glee” (Fox Wednesdays at 9/8 c) had a special sneak preview premiere in the spring, many television critics loved it. It had a unique and exciting premise, quirky characters and a spirit of fun and outlandishness that is often missing in contemporary comedy shows. With its musical interludes, it also seemed like a great addition to the Fox schedule that will soon, once again, include the hit reality show “American Idol.” Unfortunately, the first three new episodes of “Glee” that have aired this fall have not lived up to the high expectations that the outstanding sneak preview premiere created for the show, causing some disappointment. However, “Glee,” even with its faults, is still a fun and unique comedy with a great cast and an engaging premise.

As can be expected from the title, the show is about a high school glee club. The show began with a high school teacher Will Schuester (the immensely likable Matthew Morrison) realizing how much he loved performing in his own glee club and wanting to inspire a new glee club of students. The show revolves around that ragtag group of singers as they work together under the leadership of Schuester.

The show itself is bursting with quirky and fun characters including the deliciously conniving cheer-leading coach Sue Sylvester (played by Jane Lynch) who plots to destroy the glee club and Schuester’s well-meaning but manipulative wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) . In addition to Sylvester and Terri Schuester, the supporting cast is full of such unique secondary characters that it rivals shows like “The Office” for its strong ensemble cast. When the show had its sneak preview in the spring, critics applauded it. Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker wrote the following about the show in May: “Has there ever been a TV show more aptly named than Glee? It both embodies and inspires exactly that quality.” A Boston.com article in that same month noted that “the dominant note in ‘Glee’ is comedy, the production numbers are vibrant, and the cast is consistently winning. If Murphy can make the rest of the series as persuasive as the pilot, he may have a lot of people feeling ‘Glee’ in the fall.”

Several months later, the show has been a bit disappointing in its newest episodes that have aired this fall. Variety.com writer Brian Lowry recently wrote the following about such disappointment:

The promise and energy associated with the debut of “Glee” last spring largely evaporates in previewing two additional hours, where the musical numbers — generally less infectious and buoyant than the first time out — can’t compensate for overly broad characterizations and absurdly soapy situations…

Put simply, “Glee” strikes too many sour notes for a series with precious little margin for error.

I can completely understand Lowry’s analysis about the show and I agree that the spring episode of the show stands high above the recent episodes of the program in terms of quality. After hitting a high note in its spring episode, the show has admittedly suffered. Now, it seems to be struggling to find its full unique identity.

However, call me an idealist but I do continue to support the show in spite of its weaknesses. The show has a strong cast, which includes a sensational villain in Jane Lynch’s Sylvester and a great premise that can carry it through its rough early episodes. The show continues to be humorous and unique in its exploration of the formation of the glee club and I am looking forward to see more of it in the coming weeks.

Although the show is not as funny as it was in its sneak preview, it is still a hysterical show that TV Guide’s Matt Roush recently described as “that rarest of rarities in network prime time: an absolute original, an authentic musical comedy that’s as outrageously funny as it is irresistibly tuneful.”

At the conclusion of the preview episode of “Glee,” after the teacher leading the glee club leaves his post, the group of glee club students sing “Don’t Stop Believing” onstage as a newly formed team. Unsurprisingly, at the end of the song, the teacher returns to the team ready to believe in the glee club and their mission once again.

Despite its faults, “Glee” (the show, like the club itself) remains something that is worth believing in.