The new Fox television show Glee has been a huge hit and seems to be growing in popularity each and every week. For those fans of musicals and the like, it is rather easy to explain why it has been such a huge hit. The truth is, the popularity of Glee is not really among that crowd alone. The reason for Glee being so popular is more due to the huge high school following that the show has garnered in it’s short run.
Certainly it is logical that a show about high school students would be popular among the same. The thing about Glee is, however, that it is popular among most all of the high school students. The show is about a set group of niches or cliques that fight for control of a high school. These cliques are made up of cheerleaders, nerds, glee clubs, jocks and even subsets of various teacher stereotypes.
While the show has it’s merits outside of this typical stereotypical casting, it is primarily thanks to this clique exploration that Glee remains so popular. Most every student that watches Glee will likely see themselves at some point, and so the show is interesting in that way. The problem with shows like Glee is that it does tend to reinforce that this type of behavior is “normal” or “okay” on some level.
Is the show somehow trying to make a social statement? Not at all. Still the result of such shows is often that those that feel alienated remain feeling that way, and those that feel superior continue to push for dominance in the halls of America’s high schools. The one thing about Glee that is reassuring, however, is that it is actually working on bringing those groups together for a common cause - the Glee Club.
Glee will remain popular and will continue to climb in the ratings and well they should. The cast is funny, and the writing is superb. The television show is one of the more engaging shows around for all of it’s silly jokes and situations. The truth is, it is a statement of our world at large. There will always be cliques in high school. It is sad but true, and Glee is doing nothing more than showing America a mirror. A funny mirror to be sure, but a mirror just the same.
Glee can be seen on the Fox network on Wednesdays at nine eastern. It stars Matthew Morrison as the teacher trying to bring them all together. The show is well worth giving a watch, and will make you laugh to be sure.
Picture credited to Flickr User Kristin Dos Santos
