‘Glee’ Reboot: Everything the Creators Have Said About Revisiting the Iconic Show
Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have both mentioned that they aren’t opposed to doing a ‘Glee’ reboot under the right circumstances.
There’s a chance that Glee will get an encore. The widely-popular musical comedy series ended in 2015 after six seasons, but recently creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have expressed interest in possibly rebooting the show. It’s unclear what a Glee reboot would look like since the series was plagued with multiple controversies, behind-the-scenes drama, and “curses” during and after its run. Three of the show’s lead stars, Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Naya Rivera, died.
Here is everything we know about a possible Glee reboot.
Will There Ever Be Another Season of ‘Glee’?
A Glee reboot has yet to be confirmed. But in the age of rebooting shows like Gossip Girl, iCarly, and Saved by the Bell, it’s a strong possibility that Glee will be revisited in some capacity.
The original series aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015. It followed a high school glee club in Ohio, with original cast members Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer, Dianna Agron, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Mark Salling, Naya Rivera, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Harry Shum Jr. Later cast members included Darren Criss, Chord Overstreet, Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Dot-Marie Jones, and Becca Tobin.
Brad Falchuk, who created the series with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, admitted that he’s not opposed to doing a Glee reboot in a January 3, 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m sure everything is always on the table, but is there a way to tell that story in a more modern way?” said Brad. “So much of what Glee was about was really this transition from an old way of looking at representation to a new way. I’d never say no, but I wonder what the point would be — except it’d be a moneymaker.”
Ryan addressed possibly rebooting Glee when he was on Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale’s And That’s What You REALLY Missed podcast in March 2023.
“Part of me feels like, well, wouldn’t it be great to do another run of that show and do a lot of other songs and pay tribute to things? How fun would that be?” he said. “It would be difficult, but if I did do it [a reboot], I would want to take it back to the feeling of the first year. I don’t think I would do outlandish tributes right off the bat,” Ryan added.
When Ryan was on the podcast in November 2022, he mentioned that he felt enough time had passed to finally revisit the beloved series, which racked up six Emmy Awards and 40 nominations during its run.
“I’m at the phase now with that show, you know, where it’s like, well, there’s been enough time,” he said. “Like, maybe we should re-examine it as a brand. You know, should we do a reboot of it in some way? Should we do a Broadway musical of it in some way? It’s sort of like an interesting legacy that I’m interested in doing in a positive way after sort of pausing for a while. But I don’t know. I just love what it says and what it did. And there will never in my life be another Glee, anything close to it, in terms of me feeling so close to it.”
Cast Reaction to ‘Glee’ Reboot Rumors
Some of the Glee cast members have weighed in on the possibility of a reboot. Grant Gustin, who played Sebastian Smythe in seasons three through five, showed interest in doing the show again. “That was some of the most fun I’ve ever had. So, I would obviously, I would love it,” he told E! News in February 2023.
Jayma Mays, who played Emma Pillsbury, talked about a Glee reboot with E! News in November 2022. “I don’t have the creative mind that a good writer would have to come up with something. But I think it would have to be its own new thing,” she said.
However, other cast members are less interested in appearing on Glee again. Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel, admitted that he’s not onboard for a reboot in 2019. “I think the best thing to do here is quote Dolly Parton. No amount of money can take from me the memories I have of then, but no amount of money can make me go back and do it all over again,” he told USA Today.
Matthew Morrison similarly confirmed he wouldn’t want to play Will Schuester again. “Not happening — not for me,” he told Page Six in 2019. “It was such a moment in time — and it was a perfect moment — [but] they’ve had shows that tried to recreate what we did, and none of them really worked.”
How Did ‘Glee’ End?
The final episode of Glee aired on March 20, 2015. After the New Directions won Nationals, McKinley High School is turned into a performing arts school with Will (Matthew Morrison) as the principal. Sam (Chord Overstreet) takes over as the coach of the New Directions. Meanwhile, Mercedes (Amber Riley) becomes an opening act for Beyonce‘s tour, Blaine (Darren Criss) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) become Broadway stars in New York together, Artie (Kevin McHale) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) become a couple, and Sue (Jane Lynch) runs for President.
Rachel (Lea Michele) is pregnant and is the surrogate for Kurt and Blaine’s baby. She’s married to Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff). Rachel wins a Tony Award and thanks Will during her acceptance speech. In the final scene, all of the characters reunite in 2020 and perform “I Lived” by One Republic in the Finn Hudson Auditorium.