‘Glee’ Reboot Gets Series Order from Disney+ and Hulu

Television’s nostalgia boom has reached the choir room. Over the past year, beloved shows from earlier eras have been revived for new audiences, and one of the most anticipated candidates has been a revival of ‘Glee.’ For months, the idea lingered somewhere between wishful thinking and studio chatter.

The original show earned its place in pop culture history. ‘Glee’ aired on Fox from 2009 to 2015, spanning 6 seasons, 121 episodes, and more than 729 musical performances. It picked up 6 Primetime Emmys and 4 Golden Globes, with its covers of pop hits and Broadway standards landing over 200 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Now the ‘Glee’ reboot is officially happening. Disney+ and Hulu have given a series order to the new ‘Glee’ from 20th Television, 17 years after the original launched on Fox. Details about the logline, production schedule, or returning cast have yet to be revealed.

The green light came swiftly. In late September, co-creator Ryan Murphy shared with Entertainment Tonight at an ‘American Horror Story’ event that he had just completed the script, which he co-wrote with the show’s other co-creators, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, who also collaborated on the first 2 seasons. He mentioned that nobody had read it yet and expressed a desire to hear the cast’s thoughts.

Murphy had been hinting at a comeback for months. Earlier this year, he told People he was seriously contemplating a reboot and mentioned to Good Morning America that he had been quietly discussing the possibility with people from the show.

It remains uncertain how the three creators will divide showrunning duties or if a new showrunner will step in, as occurred with ‘Love Story.’ The series order also did not confirm whether the new ‘Glee’ will be a continuation, a reimagining, or something in between.

Murphy indicated he had been in touch with around 10 original cast members, who were very enthusiastic, although he did not name anyone. Lea Michele, who portrayed Rachel Berry for all 6 seasons, has expressed her willingness to return, and Jane Lynch, who played Sue Sylvester, has also shown interest.

However, not everyone has expressed the same enthusiasm. Chris Colfer, who played Kurt Hummel, mentioned in early October that he knew nothing about the revival and had heard nothing, noting that the show would be challenging to do now that Naya Rivera is gone. The original cast also included Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, and more, so the potential reunion list is extensive.

Any new version of ‘Glee’ will carry the weight of its history. The show lost its star Cory Monteith in 2013, a tragedy that led Murphy to conclude the series after its sixth season, and it later lost Rivera as well. Murphy has previously stated that if he could do it again, the production would have paused for a significant time after Monteith’s death.

This history will influence how the reboot is received. A project that leans on the original cast must balance celebration with respect for those who are no longer here, and it will need to find a tone that resonates with viewers who grew up with the show as well as a new generation.

There is also a built-in audience. All 6 seasons of the original have been streaming on Disney+ and Hulu since June 2022, which has introduced the show to younger viewers and kept it in circulation. Pairing the reboot with those same platforms makes strategic sense for Disney.

For now, the order confirms that the McKinley High story isn’t finished. The creative team is back together, a script exists, and the next steps are casting and production. Whether the New Directions return as adults, a new class takes the stage, or the story goes in a completely different direction, ‘Glee’ is about to find its voice again.

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