Massive Fan Favorite TV Series Leaving Netflix Today
Glee, the high school musical series that briefly became a cultural phenomenon when it first hit the airwaves, is leaving Netflix tonight at midnight. It's likely the series will head to either Hulu or Disney+, since it was a Fox show, and Disney now owns Fox's entertainment assets through their 20th Century Studios banner. At this point, it was one of the last 20th TV series still streaming on Netflix, with the only other being New Girl. Per What's On Netflix, the site that called attention to Glee's imminent departure, virtually all of Fox's TV series left the streamer in 2018.
Glee was produced by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story), Brad Falchuk (American Horror Story), and Ian Brennan (Scream Queens). It also featured some writing by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who would go on to serve as the creator and showrunner on The CW's Riverdale.
The series centered on a high school glee club and its adviser, teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), as they tried to navigate the perils of high school and become champions in glee club competitions. Glee premiered in 2009, and clearly latched onto a moment in popular culture, with High School Musical (2006) and Pitch Perfect (2012) also becoming huge hits. Aguirre-Sacasa actually crossed the characters over with the Archie Comics characters in a comic book miniseries.
While it centered on musical performances, usually light pop, the series dealt with some serious issues, with characters dealing with bullying, finding their sexuality, and school violence. Its campy, over-the-top tone drew both praise and criticism, especially when paired with the more serious issues mentioned above. Popular YouTuber Eddy Burback recently posted a video looking back at the show's pilot and commenting on some of the elements that haven't aged well.
Glee is also notable for launching the careers of young stars like Naya Rivera, Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, and Lea Michele. It's arguably best known, though, for elevating veteran character actor Jane Lynch. The Best in Show and Alvin and the Chipmunks star played vindictive cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, was so acclaimed for the series that she was nominated for dozens of awards between 2009 and 2012 for the role, winning an Emmy award, a Screen Actors Guild award, Critic's Choice and People's Choice awards, and more.
Are you going to try and binge your way through as much Glee as you can before it leaves Netflix tonight? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up with your favorite or most ridiculous moment in the series.