Somehow, Glee has returned. After Ryan Murphy spent most of the press circuit for his recent FX series The Shards talking about how he wanted to revisit and reboot his iconic, genre-defining musical comedy-drama series, the concept has officially become a reality. On Wednesday, Disney and Hulu announced that a Glee reboot is officially happening, breathing new life into the beloved television franchise more than a decade after the original series bowed out on Fox.
The official Glee X account broke the news to fans with a brief, celebratory post reading, “Currently gleeking out,” accompanied by promotional imagery confirming the franchise’s return. Rumblings that a revival might be on the horizon first began to circulate in July. During an interview discussing his career and legacy projects, Murphy told People magazine, “So many young people now watch it. And I’m like, ‘Maybe we should revisit that show.’”
It did not take long for those casual musings to transform into concrete plans. By September, Murphy revealed to Entertainment Tonight that he had already finished writing a script for a Glee reboot. While the project initially lived primarily as an idea bouncing around the prolific creator’s mind, the swift acquisition and series order by Disney and Hulu prove that the appetite for McKinley High’s brand of musical melodrama remains strong.
As of the initial announcement, specific plot details and character arcs are being kept tightly under wraps. However, it has been confirmed that Ryan Murphy will be heavily involved in the new iteration, which hails from 20th Television, the studio that produced the original series. Beyond that, the exact scope of the project—including how many episodes have been ordered or when production is slated to begin—remains unclear.
The original Glee ran for six seasons between 2009 and 2015, turning into a massive cultural phenomenon. It captured the zeitgeist with its high-energy covers of pop and theater hits, blending biting satire with earnest teen drama. Though the series was frequently polarizing and occasionally criticized for its chaotic plotting or campy execution—earning it a reputation among some viewers for being "cringe"—it launched the careers of numerous young stars. The original ensemble cast included Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, Naya Rivera, Dianna Agron, Jane Lynch, Darren Criss, Matthew Morrison, and Heather Morris, among many others. In the years since the show’s conclusion, the franchise has also been touched by tragedy, with several members of the original cast having passed away.
Is the new Glee series a hard reboot?
While the reboot is still in the early stages of development and Murphy has remained relatively guarded about what the show’s return will look like, he did let some crucial information slip during his conversation with Entertainment Tonight. Offering a glimpse into how the project is being approached creatively, Murphy noted that he had already reached out to several key figures from the past.
“I’ve been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members,” Murphy revealed. “It’s very sweet, and they all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea.”
This revelation strongly suggests that the new series may not be a complete narrative slate-wipe or a hard reboot. Instead, the phrasing hints that the project could potentially pick up from where the original series left off, serving as a continuation that allows for the return of familiar faces from the original McKinley High choir room.
Behind the camera, the creative DNA of the original series is firmly intact. Murphy will be joined by fellow series veterans Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Falchuk and Brennan co-created Glee alongside Murphy and collaborated with him on the script for the reboot. Their involvement in writing the pilot script signals that they are fully on board to guide the franchise into its next chapter now that Disney and Hulu have officially given the series order.
For fans of musical television, the timing of the announcement feels particularly poignant. Ever since musical satire series like Schmigadoon! came to an end, theater kids and fans of serialized musical numbers have been in desperate need of a television home that caters specifically to their niche interests. The return of Glee is sure to be welcomed as major news in those creative circles, offering a fresh dose of show tunes, high-stakes high school drama, and theatrical flair to a whole new generation of viewers.
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