It’s like Grease-meets-Fame-meets-Freaks and Geeks-meets-Square Pegs, with a dash of every other great teen/high school drama thrown in for good measure. And, it’s peppered with Journey songs. What is this delicious mix of pop culture goodness? It’s Glee, the new dramedy that’s getting a cushy premiere slot tonight: the post-American Idol hour (9PM ET on Fox, or whenever they decide to end the constantly-in-overtime AI).

First things first, Glee is wonderful. It’s sweet, funny, sincere (sometimes painfully so, as many a drama and choir geek will probably attest), and though I’m not a huge fan of musical theater that doesn’t feature some sort of performance by Nathan Lane, the song-and-dance numbers performed by McKinley High’s glee club are just plain fun.

The show, in case you’ve somehow missed all the hype during Idol, revolves around small-town teacher Will Schuester (Tony-nominated Matthew Morrison), a former glee club member during his own high school days, who volunteers to become advisor to the current glee clubbers in an effort to help them prove they’re not second-class citizens to the school’s jocks and celebrated cheerleaders (the “Cheer-ios,” whose advisor is the always delightful scene stealer Jane Lynch from Party Down, Talladega Nights and The 40-Year-Old Virgin).

Will, whose prickly home life has led to a bit of disconnect from his own once bright and hopeful outlook, has the super peppy, ambitious and talented Rachel (Spring Awakening star Lea Michele) to lead the way. And once he, well, blackmails (hey, this is a show from Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy – it’s sweet, but there’s still some of that trademark orneriness in there) secretly-talented singer and football star Finn (Kyle XY‘s Cory Monteith) into joining the singing squad, they may just have a shot at, well, if not greatness, something akin to not sucking, either.

Sounds like the perfect summer show, right? Something that not only we in the 18-49 demo can enjoy, but something that might actually get the ‘tween and teen set to peel their eyes away from the Internet and their Xboxes long enough to watch, right?

Yep, it was the perfect idea to premiere it post-Idol, at the end of the TV season, right before the summer TV schedule kicks off … and then put it away and not air it again for several months, when it will live in the Wednesday at 9PM timeslot on Fox’s fall schedule.

Bottom line: Don’t miss tonight’s premiere. And then don’t forget how much you liked it when it finally airs again in a few months.

• No Comments
• Filed in American Idol, Comedy, Drama, I Love TV!
• Tags: American Idol, Comedy, Cory Monteith, Drama, Dramedy, Glee, Jane Lynch, Journey, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Musical, Ryan Murphy, Summer TV

A rundown of what is/isn’t/might be popping up on the 2009-10 primetime schedule at Fox during this week’s Upfront presentation …

Fox (Upfront presentation: Monday, May 18)
Returning series: 24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse, Family Guy, Fringe, Hell’s Kitchen, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, So You Think You Can Dance, ‘Til Death

New series:
– Brothers (Comedy)
Plot: A former NFL pro tries to reconnect with his family, including his wheelchair-bound older brother
It stars: Former NFL pro Michael Strahan and wheelchair-bound comedian Darryl Mitchell
It’s like: A potentially refreshing new concept, actually

– The Cleveland Show (Animated comedy)
Plot: The Family Guy spin-off features Peter Griffin pal Cleveland Brown, as he moves his family from Quahog to Virginia
It stars: Mike Henry as Cleveland and Sanaa Lathan as his wife Donna
It’s like: Family Guy

– Glee (Musical dramedy)
Plot: A teacher, and former glee club member himself, signs on as advisor to the students at his school’s glee club
It stars: Broadway stars Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, Kyle XY‘s Cory Monteith and the always hilarious Jane Lynch, and was created by Nip/Tuck‘s Ryan Murphy
It’s like: Fame-meets-Election-meets-90210, with more heart and a better soundtrack (lots of Journey!)

– Human Target (Drama)
Plot: Christopher Chance (Keen Eddie and Fringe‘s Mark Valley) is a freelance security agent who assumes his clients’ identities, thus making himself the “human target”
It stars: Valley, Jackie Earle Haley and Chi McBride
It’s like: The DC Comics series of the same name

– Past Life (Drama)
Plot: A psychologist and former cop try to help people solve mysteries about their past lives
It stars: Richard Schiff (The West Wing) and comedian Ravi Patel
It’s like: A series you’d imagine Shirley MacLaine pitching

– Sons of Tucson (Comedy)
Plot: A charming grafter is hired by three brothers to act as their dad when their real father is in jail for a white collar crime
It stars: Reaper‘s Tyler Labine, while Malcolm in the Middle star Justin Berfield is an executive producer
It’s like: In the spirit of The Slums of Beverly Hills, according to buzz

Other potential new series:
– Maggie Hill (Drama)
Plot: A female surgeon has adult-onset schizophrenia but manages to thrive in her career anyway
It stars: Newcomer Christina Cole, Alfre Woodard and Luke Mably
It’s like: Enough to make you want to ask your doctor for a copy of his or her mental evaluation

• 1 Comment
• Filed in Comedy, Drama, TV News
• Tags: Brothers, Chi McBride, Cleveland Brown, Cleveland Show, Cory Monteith, Darryl Mitchell, Fall TV season, Family Guy, Fox, Glee, Human Target, Jackie Earle Haley, Jane Lynch, Justin Berfield, Lea Michele, Maggie Hill, Mark Valley, Matthew Morrison, Michael Strahan, Past Life, Reaper, Richard Schiff, Ryan Murphy, Sanaa Lathan, Sons of Tucson, spin-off, Tyler Labine, Upfront