Television series

Glee

Name: Glee
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Released: 2009
Cast: Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch

Glee is a musical comedy-drama about a high school show choir finding friendship, identity and their voices through song. It's buoyant, earnest, wildly inconsistent in quality, and utterly committed to emotional catharsis via pop covers. For anyone who's ever felt like an outsider, or who just loves watching people belt out feelings they can't otherwise express.

TVMaze rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love musical numbers that break out mid-argument and don't mind a show that runs on big, bright, sometimes ridiculous heart, the way a high school glee club does.

Skip it if you find characters bursting into song tiresome, or want a grounded drama where the stakes never tip into camp; its tone swings hard between sincere and silly.

What it asks of you: Sixty-minute episodes across six seasons, so it's a long commitment, and you'll need to accept a sunny, lightly paced tone that happily shrugs off realism.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Pitch Perfect2012

A cappella comedy with genuine heart, sharp writing, and characters you actually like. It's lighter than Glee but shares the same joy in group harmonies and found-family dynamics without the melodrama whiplash.

But Relies heavily on comedy that doesn't always land, and the plot is fairly predictable if you've seen any underdog sports movie ever.

High School Musical2006

The spiritual ancestor of the teen musical TV special. It has that same infectious energy, the same commitment to making singing feel like the most natural response to emotion, and genuinely likable leads.

But It's aggressively earnest and the dialogue can feel clunky. Also significantly shorter than Glee, so less character depth if that's what you're chasing.

The Politician2019

Ryan Murphy's follow-up has a similar tone: heightened, theatrical, full of musical numbers that puncture emotion, with a large ensemble cast navigating high school hierarchies. It's campier and more self-aware than Glee.

But The satire can feel aimless, and it's far more cynical about its characters than Glee ever was. Some arcs go nowhere or resolve unsatisfyingly.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Glee

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Here Come the Brides1968

Both believe that a group of misfit kids (or adults) can change a closed community through the sheer force of their talent and goodness. Both are sincerely uncynical about this.

A 1968 TV musical that did what Glee would do 40 years later: integrated songs into a drama about outsiders building community in an unwelcoming place. Wildly earnest, genuinely weird, and it actually committed to the bit.

But Sixties production values and pacing will feel glacially slow. The gender politics are dated. It's also nearly impossible to find legally and the music won't be familiar.

Smash2012

Broadway ambition meets drama and actual songs. It has Glee's appetite for big musical numbers and emotional stakes, with stronger writing about the actual craft of performance and less soap-opera plotting.

But Cancelled after two seasons on a cliffhanger. Also more adult and jaded than Glee—less about finding your voice, more about crushing egos and politics.

Julie and the Phantoms2020

A teen musical that actually nails what Glee was reaching for: genuine emotion, characters you root for, and songs that feel earned rather than imposed. Whimsical but never saccharine.

But Only one season before cancellation. If you need closure, this will sting. Also lighter in tone—less dramatic conflict, more feel-good vibes.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend2015

Another musical comedy-drama that uses songs to express interior emotional states. It's smarter and weirder than Glee, with actual narrative stakes and characters who grow and change.

But The early seasons can feel scattered, and the humour is specific and won't appeal to everyone. It's also darker about mental health and self-delusion than Glee ever got.

Godspeed2016

A small indie about teenagers in a high school marching band. It's sincere about competition, friendship, and the strange intimacy of making music together without being sentimental about it.

But Very low budget, no famous names, and the plot is deliberately small-scale. If you need spectacle or recognisable faces, this won't deliver that.

A Star Is Born2018

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in a raw, adult version of the ambition and self-discovery Glee was always circling. The musical performances are stunning and the emotional stakes feel genuinely dangerous.

But Brutally dark about addiction and the cost of fame. It's a tragedy, not a celebration. Very different emotional register from Glee's hopefulness.

Hairspray2007

A musical that actually believes in joy, acceptance, and the power of community the way Glee wants to. Big-hearted, ensemble-driven, with real warmth and surprisingly smart social commentary woven through.

But It's based on a stage musical adapted to film, so it has a different rhythm than Glee. Some viewers find the theatrical style dated or overwrought.

tick, tick... BOOM!2021

Both centre on characters whose existence depends on being able to sing their feelings. But where Glee suggests performance is salvation, this film asks whether it's enough to save you.

A film musical about artistic ambition, self-doubt, and mortality that's devastatingly mature about what Glee only hinted at. Andrew Garfield gives a performance of raw vulnerability. The songs are about real stakes.

But It's serious—about aging artists, death, and artistic compromise. There's no redemptive group finale; it's one man's internal crisis. Emotionally heavy in ways Glee never allowed itself to be.