Glee's season premiere: Is the show back on track?

After a third season that repulsed critics and lost millions of viewers, Glee tries to woo back exasperated fans with a cast shake-up and a split storyline

"Glee"
(Image credit: Adam Rose/FOX)

Once, not too long ago, critics and fans couldn't stop singing about Fox's Glee — but that time has passed. Though Glee still earns respectable ratings, it's no longer a massive hit; the show stumbled badly in its third season, frustrating critics and losing a quarter of its audience (if you look at the ratings drop from season 2's finale to season 3's). Last night, Glee's fourth season premiered with "The New Rachel," an episode written personally by series creator Ryan Murphy. It tackled head-on the series' new narrative challenge: Many of the show's most popular characters graduated last season, necessitating a split storyline that finds protagonist Rachel in New York City, hundreds of miles away from her costars at McKinley High. Is Glee's fourth season worth tuning into, or has the series officially jumped the shark?

Glee is finally moving in the right direction: "The New Rachel" was "a terrifically entertaining seasoner opener," says Matt Roush at TV Guide. Glee's smartest move this season was ushering in a "new wave of talent," including Kate Hudson as a dictatorial, dipsomaniacal dance instructor in an "electrifying" performance. And the episode's musical lineup, including a tongue-in-cheek take on Carly Rae Jepsen's megahit "Call Me Maybe," was as "infectious" as ever. Glee can be inconsistent, but it's "off to a good start," and if it builds on the promise of this premiere, "I like where it's heading."

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Kevin Fallon is a reporter for The Daily Beast. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at TheWeek.com and a writer and producer for TheAtlantic.com's entertainment vertical. He is only mildly embarrassed by the fact that he still watches Glee.