Glee: It Makes FOX Happy, It Makes You Happy

May 19, 2009: an episode of “American Idol” ended, the credits rolled, and then FOX premiered the pilot of its new mega-project: “Glee.” The ratings for the premiere were…less than satisfactory, taking in less than half of the “American Idol” audience. But FOX is prepared to gun “Glee” and ready to launch.

Immediately after the pilot aired, FOX placed it online for viewing at sites like Hulu. People viewed, reviewed, and the votes are in. Most people…like “Glee.”

“Glee” was first viewed as the “High School Musical” of television, but as soon as you watch the pilot, it takes away that view almost completely. The production staff of this project knew what they were getting into and obviously they purposely steered away from this paradigm. Unlike “HSM,” the story in “Glee” is told from a teacher’s point of view with influence from the kids involved. It chronicles a show choir (glee club) and its revival into hopeful success. But most importantly, the characters are at the center of this show. Standouts include Jayma Mays, who plays the wonderfully quirky Emma Pillsbury, and Lea Michelle, who plays the normally overdone stage girl. The way she executes her role is overdone, but pleasantly so and enjoyable to watch. Cory Monteith, who plays the jock/singer has an interesting carelessness about him that somehow keeps the character out of the genre you would expect. It works great, though. The overall direction of the pilot itself was wonderful, and I enjoyed every moment.

And yes, there are problems. There are moments of cliché, but soon after, those moments are cancelled out by a great scene or a great song, for that matter. The “Glee” pilot contains two remixed songs which the characters lip-sync (obviously). But the lip-syncing becomes somewhat enjoyable! Who would have thought listening to a lip-synced version of “Don’t Stop Believin’” or “Rehab” would make you smile?

The problem remains in keeping a steady audience, though. FOX knew that there would be difficulty in presenting this show to the public. That’s why they’re making a smart (hopefully) move in its advertising campaign. By having the “Glee” pilot online all summer, they hope to build an audience that will stay invigorated and excited enough for the series continuation, which is on September 16 at 9PM ET/PT. That’s when the true stamina of “Glee” will be tested. If “Glee” can keep to its viewers expectations with episodes up to par with its pilot, I think it will be safe. The production schedule is way ahead of its premiering schedule, which is another smart move. Keeping ahead helps them use feedback from the pilot sneak peek for editing and production. As long as they keep the exciting episodes going, “Glee” has a future.

Hopefully FOX can succeed and help the show hold on to its potential.

Watch the pilot now at http://www.hulu.com/glee.