And now for something completely different from the inventive but deranged mind of Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy.

A lighthearted comedy musical series about teenagers that sounds like a cross between Freaks And Geeks and High School Musical? That’s right, and Murphy does it with Glee. The one-hour FOX series with a cast that includes the always hilarious Jane Lynch (pictured below) debuts with a primo time slot, Tuesday, May 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT following the penultimate showing of this season’s American Idol.

FOX undoubtedly hopes to hold on to a major share of AI’s music-loving audience and leave it yearning for more. Because after Tuesday’s show, it won’t return to the network’s primetime lineup until the fall, at the same time on Wednesdays following So You Think You Can Dance.
Still, FOX has made a major promotional push to attract fans right now.

Murphy, the show’s executive producer, director, and writer, took part in a lengthy Q&A during a conference call conducted by FOX earlier this month. He was reluctant to reveal any huge surprises but said Glee will provide “something for everyone.” That will include cast performances of classic rock songs such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”, which will be made available on iTunes (along with a rendition of Amy Winehouse’s more contemporary “Rehab”) the same day as the debut.

“The key to the music is to do stuff for the most part that people know, which is why I think so many people love American Idol because it’s musical comfort food in some way,” Murphy said.

Glee focuses on a group of nerds, misfits, social outcasts, ne’er-do-wells, and ragtag performers at McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. They come together under the leadership of an optimistic teacher hoping to take this glee club to the top of the charts – well, at least as high as a bunch of Midwest teens can go anyway. It does for choir participants what Bring It On did for cheerleaders.

“The show really is about underdogs, and I think the key to the tone and the heart of the show is that people will love them because they are underdogs,” Murphy said.

And while Murphy says there will be between five to eight songs per episode, Glee isn’t all about the music. A steady dose of satire (think Alexander Payne’s Election) and drama will be thrown in, although Murphy hastens to add, “This is not a show you’d find on the CW.” (So don’t think Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill.)

Article Author: Michael Bialas

A newspaper editor and former college football player, Michael Bialas makes sports his business but exploring and reviewing music, movies, TV and other forms of pop culture are among the games he enjoys playing now.
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