On Wednesday, the red carpet premiere event for “American Horror Story” season 13 was held in New York City. Ryan Murphy is one of the show's co-creators and executive producers. When asked by Entertainment Tonight about a potential “Glee” reboot, Murphy said, “Well, funny you ask because I just finished the script an hour ago.”
Murphy shared that he, along with fellow original “Glee” writers Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, have been working on a script.
Murphy also shared he has been in touch with 10 of the original “Glee” cast members, though there was no hint as to which members. The cast has yet to read the script, but Murphy shared they all seemed “enthusiastic” about the idea.
In a separate interview, Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams on “Glee”, shared he would be interested after being asked about Murphy’s comment.
There have been rumors among fans about a possible “Glee” reboot. Many were surprised that original cast members may be returning, with user @yolobutsolo commenting on the Entertainment Tonight YouTube account, “I heard him mention a Glee reboot. I thought he meant like a new generation, not the old cast. Not sure how that would [sic] work....”
Some fans seem very excited about the idea, with user @tomasonquest commenting, “If we get Sue Sylvester back it’s an immediate yes for me.”
Other fans seem disappointed, with user @leah.kado commenting, “Glee was a product of its time. I really don't think it would do well right now.” Some of the negative responses seem to be from fans finding it offensive to do the show knowing some original cast members have passed away, with user @jtgenu1 commenting, “A reboot without Naya or Cory? What’s the point?”
Three of the original “Glee” cast members have passed away. Cory Monteith passed away as the show was still airing. An episode was dedicated to Monteith entitled “The Quarterback,” in reference to his character Finn Hudson, who was the quarterback of the school’s football team.
Mark Salling, who played Noah Puckerman, passed away in 2018. In 2015, Salling was arrested for possession of child pornography. Salling’s death came a few months before his prison sentence was meant to begin.
Naya Rivera, who played Santana Lopez, passed away in 2020 while boating with her then 4-year-old son. Her son was found alive sleeping in the boat alone. Rivera’s body was found floating five days later.
Many fans expressed that they would miss Monteith and Rivera if a reboot or spin-off was done without the two of them appearing on the potential show.
Since “Glee" ended, various cast members have gone down many different paths. Amber Riley, who played Mercedes Jones, won season 17 of “Dancing With the Stars” with Derek Hough. She also won season eight of "The Masked Singer.”
Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel, is the author of the fantasy novel series “The Land of Stories.” He also writes the “Roswell Johnson” series.
Heather Morris, who played Brittany Pierce, won season two of “The Masked Dancer.” Morris also competed on “Dancing With the Stars,” but she was voted off during week six despite getting a perfect score that same night.
Darren Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, won a Tony Award for his role as Oliver in “Maybe Happy Ending.”
Harry Shum Jr., who played Mike Chang, is on the current season of “Dancing With the Stars” and is filming the upcoming season of “Grey’s Anatomy" at the same time.
As if the writers of “Glee” managed to predict real life, Lea Michele played Fanny Brice in a Broadway production of “Funny Girl” from September 2022 to September 2023. That is the same Broadway role her character Rachel Berry played on “Glee.”
“Glee” is often credited with being one of the shows that helped to normalize LGBTQ+ characters in media, along with shows such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Will & Grace.”
Fans have pointed out that a lot of things that were considered pushing the boundaries in the name of equality at the time would now likely be viewed as insensitive.
One storyline that is often talked about negatively online is when Rivera’s character was outed. The character who finally makes her feel comfortable with people knowing about her sexuality was not her parents, girlfriend or one of the show's other LGBTQ+ characters. It was the character who outed her in the first place.
Based on how Murphy’s tone comes across in the interview clip, it does not seem as though anything is official. Either way, it seems the original show is still beloved by many and will likely continue to be for years to come.
