You know how there are certain shows that you loved as a kid but think, "Huh, if this were brought back now, it would be terrible"? Yeah, that’s how I feel about Glee. And now, I found out that Ryan Murphy is thinking about bringing Glee back, and I’m sorry, but that is a terrible idea.
For context, Murphy created the hit Fox series Glee in 2009, which took the world by storm. While it declined in quality over the course of its run, it was still an iconic series with great music and fun acting.
But recently, in an interview that Murphy did with The Hollywood Reporter to promote his new series, The Shards, he said that he’s been “considering” rebooting Glee and bringing it back to the generation that grew up with it:
“I’m also considering Glee. It’s something to consider. For many, many people now in their 20s, they grew up on that show and it meant something to them. The music meant something. So, let’s kick it around and see what we get. It’s always about the story for me. What’s the story? Do I want to tell the story now? Sometimes I want to wait.”
And I’m sorry, but just…no.
Is Glee one of the best musical TV shows? Yes, it is. The music in there is done incredibly well, and even to this day, I still listen to plenty of songs. The “Rumor Has It/Someone Like You” mashup is one of the most-played songs.
But the thing about Glee that makes it such a good series is that it not only came out during a time when musical-based TV programming was relatively new, but the jokes landed well because of that.
Glee was essentially a pioneer in that regard because there really weren't that many other shows like that, which had great music and some hilarious one-liners but also tackled serious social topics within a comedy, such as teenage pregnancy, texting and driving, LGBTQ+ rights, and much, much more.
But trying to do all of that now would be a cataclysmically bad idea. Okay, maybe that’s a strong word, but think about it. Many of the issues that were considered daring to talk about back then are just common-day things now, and most viewers expect shows to tackle them. In fact, they get upset when they don’t. It would be hard to tackle those same kinds of themes in a new, innovative way for a teenage show about a glee club.
The bigger issue, though, is the humor. There’s a reason why this Ryan Murphy series often has compilations of the most out-of-pocket instances during the six-season run of Glee. The comedy fit the times, sure, but it just would not hit the same with today’s comedic style. Glee started to trend in the wrong direction with its comedy around seasons 5 and 6, and I feel that if it came back for a reboot, it would be about the same.
The other thing is that a musically driven TV show isn’t news anymore. This would be purely for nostalgia. There are so many other really good musically based TV shows (Schmigadoon!, Girls5eva, etc.) that have improved on the genre and more. I can’t see Glee doing that again. And let’s be honest, no one is going to beat the memorable performances from the first series.
And it really wouldn’t be the same without the original Glee cast. They could maybe get away with guest star roles, but it’s never going to be the original core five that we know in Glee.
I don’t know; maybe I’m being too snobbish about this, and I’m a Scrooge for fun nostalgia-based reboots. There was a report about a supposed Glee reboot back in March of 2026, but nothing has come from that. Since it feels like all we ever get is reboots, this potential one is a polite no from me.
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