8 OG Glee Plots The Reboot Would Never Get Away With

Published Nov 7, 2026, 11:30 AM EST Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television. A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyance). As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene. As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator. WARNING: This article contains discussion of drug addiction, homophobia, suicide, bullying, eating disorders, sexual assault, and school shootings. Like any other show that premiered in 2009, Glee is a product of its time— for better and for worse. The musical teen drama was a trailblazer in its genre, blending the melodrama of classic coming-of-age stories with the camp factor of an off-Broadway jukebox musical. As the Disney+/Hulu Glee revival enters production for a projected 2027 release, however, there is plenty of history in the original series that should not be repeated. To an extent, absurdity was the entire appeal of Glee during its original run. After all, nowhere else could viewers enjoy the pure spectacle of a character giving birth while a show choir belts "Bohemian Rhapsody" onstage. Furthermore, the new Glee cast will have big shoes to fill thanks to the lasting ensemble of characters ranging from iconic to infamous. Nevertheless, a 2020s take on Glee could bring with it some much-needed change, especially as it pertains to the outlandish— and, at times, wildly inappropriate— plot lines of the original series. Rachel Sabotaging Sunshine Corazón When Glee first aired, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) was introduced as a grating but altogether empathetic figure. You cringed at her, you pitied her, but you always enjoyed her singing. As time went on, however, the de facto star of the glee club became a surprisingly villainous TV protagonist, always going to great lengths to protect her role as the featured soloist. Yet, Rachel's lust for fame was never as evident as it was when Sunshine Corazón (Jake Zyrus) appeared. New student Sunshine was seemingly a perfect prospective member for the McKinley High Glee Club, and her incredible voice unsurprisingly threatened Rachel. As a result, Glee's primadonna knowingly sends Sunshine to a dangerous drug den to prevent her from stealing the spotlight. After a well-deserved transfer, Sunshine gets to show off her pipes on a rival team, but Rachel has little-to-no consequence for her extreme and reckless behavior. Terri Drugging The Glee Club Will "Mr. Schue" Schuester (Matthew Morrison) is a fairly divisive Glee character in his own right, but he seems like a saint compared to his ex-wife, Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig). In addition to faking an entire pregnancy and attempting to intimidate Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), Terri begins working at McKinley High to spy on Will. Despite being hired as a school nurse, however, Terri was clearly not a healthcare professional. Her lack of medical knowledge becomes glaringly apparent when Terri begins secretly administering drugs to the New Directions. The so-called "vitamins" were actually pseudoephedrine, a decongestant that is frequently abused as a stimulant and performance-enhancing drug. The students only take the pills due to stress over the mashup battle, but Terri lying to teenagers and giving them potentially addictive medication is an outrageously dangerous subplot that was brushed off far too quickly. Blaine Dating Kurt’s Former Bully As soon as Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) was introduced in season 2, it was obvious he and Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) would be together for the long-run. The first season of Glee did not treat Kurt kindly, and a show-stopping boyfriend was the least his character deserved. Of course, their relationship had ups and downs throughout the rest of the run, but nothing was as egregious as Blaine dating Dave Karofsky (Max Adler). Although Karofsky turned out to be a gay man himself, he projected his internalized homophobia onto Kurt and made him fear for his life on numerous occasions. With enough time and space, Kurt forgave him and wished him well, even if the wounds from his high school bully would never fully heal. When Blaine revealed he was dating Karofsky in Glee season 6, it felt like nothing more than fodder for shock value— and, truthfully, a slap in the face to Kurt's character. Without question, Blaine and Karofsky would have been one of the worst endgame couples in TV history. Constantly Having Teen Characters Perform Inappropriate Numbers Between classic show tunes and 2010s radio hits, the musical numbers in Glee single-handedly made it a show that was so bad, it was actually good. There were earnest moments, like Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) and Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) singing a tear-jerking rendition of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, but the vast majority of Glee's performances ranged from humorous to flat-out scandalizing. Frankly, it often felt like Glee would forget its characters were minors, as reflected by the raunchy, overtly sexual routines peppered throughout all six seasons. Granted, it would be foolish to pretend that teenagers are completely asexual, but there's no need to present underage glee club members as "sexy" or, even worse, have them sing innuendo-riddled tracks with their teacher. The Glee Club Blaming Marley For Her Eating Disorder Following the graduation of original New Directioners, Glee valiantly tried to keep the magic alive by bringing in a new batch of glee club members, including Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist). Given her insecurity over her home life and general sheepish nature, Marley quickly became the prime target of fellow performer Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin). As such, when the humble starlet lands the coveted role of Sandy in the high school's production of Grease, Kitty manipulates Marley into developing an eating disorder. The ramifications of Kitty's scheme hit Marley deep, culminating in her fainting during a competition. Rather than support her, unfortunately, the club— including Mr. Schue— holds Marley's eating disorder against her and blames her for their loss. Considering eating disorders are so tragically ubiquitous, storylines involving them must be handled with care. Even in recent years, titles like Insatiable have divided viewers, turning a simple revenge story into one of the most controversial shows on Netflix.​​​​​​ Sebastian Nearly Blinding Blaine When Blaine joined the New Directions, he left the Dalton Academy Warblers without a leader— leaving the door open for Sebastian Smythe (Grant Gustin) to be his successor in Glee season 3. Immediately, Sebastian is an antagonist figure, openly taunting Kurt, vowing to steal Blaine, and plotting to take down the glee club. Sadly, his attacks weren't confined to show choir competitions. During a singing battle with the New Directions, Sebastian tries to throw a slushy at Kurt. Blaine intercepts the attack, but they soon realize the drink was tampered with, seriously damaging his cornea. Despite Blaine needing urgent surgery, Sebastian is never brought to justice in any way, shape, or form. While plenty of villains make their shows better, Sebastian Smythe was simply a smug, borderline deranged character who never got the comeuppance he deserved.​​​​​​ The School Shooting Scare Glee loved to confront hot topics, from teen pregnancy to attempted suicide, but "Shooting Star" felt like pure exploitation. Admittedly, the cast gave some series-best performances in the season 4 episode, though they undeniably feel wasted when you consider the impact— or lack thereof— of the central plot. While the students and staff believed an active shooter was in the building, Becky (Lauren Potter) simply brought a gun into school and accidentally fired it once. Yet, even after the truth is revealed that there was no real danger, Glee refuses to explore the aftermath of such a serious topic, opting to ignore the traumatic experience rather than work through it and offer meaningful commentary. Today, countless shows and movies tackle school shootings, from Zendaya's contentious role in The Drama to one-off episodes of teen dramas. What separates the poignant from the predatory, however, is the willingness to include realistic consequences and ripple effects— both notably absent from Glee.​​​​​​ Everyone Minimizing Ryder’s Sexual Assault ​​​​​​​Ryder Lynn (Blake Jenner) may not have been a member of Glee's original cast, but he had one of the biggest roles out of anyone in the glee club's second generation. Along with Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist) and Marley, he formed the most pivotal love triangle in Glee's later seasons. Likewise, he fulfilled a similar role to Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) by balancing a jock persona with his newfound love of singing. During an especially tender moment, Ryder opens up to the rest of the glee club about being sexually assaulted by his babysitter at age 11. The male members brush off his trauma, deplorably insisting they would have enjoyed being molested in his place. Even if it was meant as a joke, the scene is filled to the brim with harmful rhetoric without any reprieve for Ryder or the audience. Irrefutably, it's a low point for Glee, and precisely the kind of mistake the reboot must avoid repeating.​​​​​​ Release Date 2009 - 2015-00-00 Network FOX Showrunner Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk