I must admit, to having a fascination with musicals.  It doesn’t matter whether their on television, at the movies, or in live theater.  I’m a sucker for them.  I think it started with MTV, back in the early 1980’s.  1982 or 83 I think it was when they launched.  Music videos are really just little musicals on their own.  Kind of like the short films of the big screen genre.  Some of the favorite movies from my youth were Fame and Dirty Dancing.  Long before High School Musical hit the airwaves.

So, it should come with no surprise, that I muchly anticipated the arrival of the television show Glee.  And, I must say it has lived up to my expectations.  That fact that it uses music from my teenage years is a bonus.  When I saw one of the original teaser trailers on YouTube featuring the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, I knew I had to watch it.  But, it’s not just the music of Glee that keeps me coming back, it’s the characters.

One of the first reviews I read about Glee, described it as High School Musical with an edge.  And that’s still in my mind a pretty good definition of Glee.  But it’s not the only one.  What I like about the characters in Glee, is that their complicated.  There are very few clearly defined “good” and “bad” guys or gals.  With a few exceptions I suppose.  Our favorite cheer leading coach is pretty much a bad gal, but even she has had her moments.  When she started falling for the news anchor fella revealed a different side of her.

Even the kids though.  While there are a few typical “jocks” and “geeks” as minor characters, the main characters often embody a little bit of both.  The fact that in this day and age, everyone is a bit of a geek, and it’s kinda cool to be one just further muddies the one dimensional character model.  I for one think that’s kinda cool.  As I was probably leaning more towards the geek side long before it had any cool factor what so ever.  I was a member of the audio visual club in high school after all . . . yeeeech!  At least I kept my distance from the chess club.

Tags: fame, Glee, high school musical, musical