A Glee reboot has been greenlit — but can the show escape its tragic past?
A Glee reboot has been greenlit — but can the show escape its tragic past?
Caitlin Hornik Wed, October 21, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC
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When the campy TV show Glee was released in 2009, the world fell in love with a group of jazz-hand-wielding misfits at the fictional William McKinley High School. The series, created by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk, was praised for not only putting theater kids in the spotlight, but for tackling topics like sexuality, race and mental health (though not always gracefully), and won six Emmys along the way. For six years, a loyal legion of fans watched a fresh-faced Lea Michele belt Broadway tunes week after week as Rachel Berry. But in 2015, the show ended under a set of tragic circumstances.
Cory Monteith, who played leading man Finn, died from an overdose in 2013 while the show was grappling with failing ratings. Mark Salling, who starred as the football player Puck, died in 2018 at 35, and his co-star Naya Rivera, who played the fierce cheerleader Santana, died in 2020 at 33. At the same time, certain cast members started speaking out about a toxic culture on set. It felt like a dark cloud had been cast over the legacy of a show that once brought so many people (myself included) so much joy.
It is brave, then, that Disney+ and Hulu have just announced they have ordered a reboot. But it’s also not exactly a surprise. Brennan spoke to The Independent on a recent red carpet about a possible revival, cryptically saying, “Watch this space,” which is TV-talk for “yes, a reboot is on the way.” It’s happening – but with all of the past controversies and tragedies, it has to be asked: do we really need another round of Glee?
A ‘Glee’ reboot has been greenlit by Disney+ and Hulu (Fox)
As a millennial and former theater kid, I feel equipped to give my verdict. Thinking back to the first season, I remember how people like me (whose nickname in high school was Rachel Berry, for better or worse) resonated with the show and anticipated those Wednesday night releases. What Broadway legends were going to pop up at McKinley High that week? What song mashups were going to blow my teenage mind? I still think the “Don’t Stand So Close to Me / Young Girl” mashup is brilliant (even if the Rachel Berry being in love with her glee club teacher plot was wildly inappropriate). If Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk can recapture some of that initial spark and intrigue, it could be worth it.
But casting will be a huge determining factor in any success. So far, we know fromVariety’s report that Michele will return as Rachel Berry. Aside from her, other OG cast members would be needed to make this work. And that’s not guaranteed – returning cast members will have a lot to grapple with, both personally and professionally, if they come back to the project. Earlier this year, Chris Colfer, who played the openly gay Kurt Hummel, told Bustle that reviving the show without Rivera would be difficult. “It was a really tough show to do, and it would be really hard to do it now that Naya is gone,” he said. “But I do know that Glee fans would probably come after me with pitchforks and jazz hands if I said no. So I don’t know, but hopefully I’ll have more information and I can actually think about it.” In that same vein that Colfer seemed so conflicted about revisiting the story, it might be difficult to get OG Gleeks back on board.
Cory Monteith, who played leading man Finn, died from an overdose in 2013 while the show was grappling with failing ratings (Fox)
In addition to the horrible losses and questions about whether a reboot will address them, it will be hard to forget that the original series was apparently rife with on-set toxicity.
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Michele was accused in 2020 of racist behavior and bullying on set by her former co-star Samantha Ware. Ware, who is Black, tweeted at the time that Michele made her life “a living hell.” She further claimed that Michele told her that if she “had the opportunity,” she would defecate in Ware’s wig. Series regular Heather Morris and guest star Dabier Snell also shared their “unpleasant” experiences with Michele.
Lea Michele played Rachel Berry and Matthew Morrison played glee club leader Mr. Schue on ‘Glee’ (Fox)
In 2020, Michele issued a half-apology on Instagram, labelling the accusations as a mere “perception” of her on-set behavior. When that statement fell short, she said online: “Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me just being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior and for any pain which I have caused.” She added: “We all can grow and change and I have definitely used these past several months to reflect on my own shortcomings.”
But Michele’s supposed behavior wasn’t the only problematic part of the show, either. Glee still makes headlines periodically when someone decides to rehash all of the show’s most insane plot lines, many of which would not fly today. Chief among them being the aforementioned sexually charged student-teacher relationship, an eating disorder being inflicted upon one character by another, and a character bringing a gun to school in an episode that aired just months after the devastating 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Those, coupled with cast shake ups and plot fatigue, led to fan disillusionment over time.
Original 'Glee' cast members, pictured in 2009, included Chris Colfer, Jenna Ushkowitz, Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, Lea Michele, Kevin McHale and Amber Riley (Getty)
A lot of work will need to be done to reclaim what Glee once represented. It will be an even harder job given that so many reboots of shows from around the same era — Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars come to mind — have flopped. It doesn’t mean Glee’s fate is sealed, but it does mean the co-creators have their work cut out for them to overcome the odds.
The real potential lies in attracting a new audience in Gen Z. A 2024 survey revealed that 67 percent of Millennials and Gen Zs are “Broadway curious,” which is a solid entry point for a show that (at least originally) was about a group of theater geeks. So there’s clearly an opportunity there to engage with that generation. If the co-creators are smart about their approach — combining what made the original series shine with the new intrigue around musical theater and a fresh, inclusive script — they could be onto something. Emphasis on could.
Murphy, Brennan, and Falchuk certainly have their hands full. And while they can’t change the past, they can chart a path forward that contributes to Glee’s legacy in a more positive way. I, for one, would like to see them try.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
