Glee was practically a millennial rite of passage. When the musical comedy-drama premiered, it introduced viewers to a group of high school misfits, popular kids and everything in between who found friendship, romance and a sense of belonging through their school’s Glee Club.
Set at McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, the series became a massive pop-culture phenomenon during its six-season run. Now, more than a decade after the original series finale, the Glee universe is officially coming back.
‘Glee’ Reboot Is Officially Happening
Ryan Murphy has officially written a script for the first episode of the Glee reboot, and has even reached out to many of the cast members about returning to reprise their fan-favorite roles. It’s unclear who will return, but Variety reports that Lea Michele is set to bring back her iconic character, Rachel Berry, for the reboot.
Which Glee Cast Members Have Died?
While a Glee-boot is exciting news for fans of the series, which ran for six seasons, there is a lot to consider. Perhaps the biggest question that the sequel series faces is the loss of three main cast members. During the original series, actor Cory Monteith, who played Finn Hudson, died from a drug overdose.
Monteith’s death was written into the show, and while the series never confirmed how the character of Finn died, they honored the McKinley High quarterback in one of the most emotional and heartbreaking episodes of the show. Since the Glee finale, actor Mark Salling, who portrayed bad boy Puck, took his own life after finding himself in serious legal trouble.
Years later, actress Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez), passed away from drowning during a day on the water with her young son. These absences will likely need to be addressed in some way for the reboot. Although Finn’s fate is already well-known, Puck and Santana are original characters that would have likely been part of the storyline in a perfect world.
In addition, the original series finale gave viewers a flash forward into the lives of the characters, and it will be interesting to see if Ryan Murphy stays true to his original vision for those characters.
Lea Michele Is Reportedly Returning As Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry is seen winning a Tony Award for Best Actress, and it’s revealed that she finished her NYADA degree, married Jesse St. James, and was pregnant, serving as a surrogate for longtime best friends, Kurt and Blaine. As for Kurt and Blaine, the two were living in New York City, happily still performing and awaiting the birth of their first child.
Where Did The New Directions End Up?
Longtime Glee teacher, Will Schuester, eventually became the principal of McKinley High, after it transformed into a performing arts high school, becoming a place for all kids who love the arts to feel welcome and accepted. Will was still married to Emma and they were raising their family.
Sam Evans eventually took over as the director of the New Directions after spending years working at his alma mater. Sam’s former girlfriend, Mercedes Jones, becomes a big star with a major music career, even opening for Beyonce. Meanwhile, Artie Abrams and Tina Cohen-Chang rekindle their romance. Artie achieves his dreams of becoming a filmmaker, directing an independent film, which Tina stars in.
Santana and Brittany were married in one of the final episodes of Glee, and in the flash forward, they were revealed to still be happily married. However, their career paths were not revealed. Quinn Fabray left Ohio to attend Yale, and while she returned for a final song in the finale, her career was also left unknown. Mike Chang moved to Chicago to attend dance school.
The fates of the characters who appeared in later seasons of the show such as Marley, Jake, Kitty, Ryder, Unique, Roderick, Jane, Spencer, and the McCarthy twins are unknown. Perhaps they’ll also pop up in the reboot.
Here’s What Fans Are Saying
After the news of the Glee reboot dropped, fans immediately took to social media to share their thoughts, and they had plenty of them. “If I’m not seeing majority of the original cast I don’t want it honey!” one person commented via X.
“This is healing the world,” said another. “Trying not to freak out,” a third person chimed in. “Feels like 2009 again,” a fourth comment read.
When Will The ‘Glee’ Reboot Air?
There are not a lot of concrete details about the reboot thus far. However, it will stream on Disney Plus and Hulu. The original series was a staple of FOX. However, Ryan Murphy’s work with FX and Hulu with other shows such as American Horror Story could have played a part in the decision
Whether you like the idea or not, if you were a fan of the original Glee series, you’ll likely want to tune in out of sheer curiosity.
