By Selome Hailu, Ellise Shafer, Zack Sharf
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection What have we missed on “Glee”?
For six glorious, terrifying seasons from 2009 to 2015, we witnessed Ryan Murphy bring a fever dream to life. With each new episode, the musical dramedy series’ unique blend of satire and earnestness had girls, the gays and their allies pondering: What song that should be sung by Mercedes and Santana will get stolen by Rachel next? Why is Mr. Schue so comfortable speaking to children that way? How on earth did any of this get made?
And now, somehow, the most absurd television project of all time is back. Disney confirmed on Tuesday that Hulu and Disney+ have greenlit a reboot — nay, a Gleeboot — but didn’t provide any details about new storylines or returning cast members. (However, Variety confirmed with multiple sources that at the very least, Lea Michele is set to reprise the role of Rachel Berry.)
McKinley High School cheer coach Sue Sylvester (played by the inimitable Jane Lynch) once called herself “horny with fear,” and while we won’t go that far… we understand what she meant. So Variety‘s resident gleeks got together and listened to the only version of “Teenage Dream” we recognize to inspire this list of our burning questions about the new “Glee.”
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What’s the Reboot About?
Image Credit: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Depending on which characters end up returning, there are two semi-obvious (and somewhat non-forced) routes the “Glee” reboot can take. The show ended 11 years ago, so it would totally make sense to center new episodes around William McKinley High School throwing a 10-year reunion that brings back a ton of the original cast. High school culture has changed dramatically in the last decade, so perhaps the reboot finds the original glee club feeling like fish out of water as they contend with rapidly different teenage norms as they meet the school’s current glee club and show them the ropes.
If only a select number of characters are returning, however, then perhaps the “Glee” reboot centers on Mr. Schue retiring from William McKinley High School. The show ended with Mr. Shue as principal and Sam heading the glee club. Perhaps Mr. Schue’s retirement leads to Sam becoming principal, thus opening the door for (let’s say) Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes to battle it out to be his replacement after their own music careers have sputtered. In this version, you could still have cameos from many original cast members and you’d still meet the new teens who make up the current glee club. The latter point might end up being the biggest no-brainer for the reboot. Whatever the story is, there’s got to be a teenage ensemble/new glee club ready to pick up the mantle and keep the reboot going (and the music sales pumping) for a few years to come.
But to go off the rails a bit, what if “Glee” returns to a Season 1 storyline? It would be delicious to catch up with Beth, the daughter Quinn and Puck gave up for adoption. Since Beth ended up being raised by Shelby (guest star Idina Menzel), who was not only the coach of McKinley’s rival glee club but also Rachel’s biological mother, the stakes would be high if the reboot follows her show choir journey as she deals with her complex family tree. After all, she should be about 16 years old now…
