Can Britney Spears save 'Glee' from the sophomore slump?

Like Madonna and Lady Gaga before her, Spears will be getting her own themed-episode next season. But is this really what "Glee" needs right now?

Can a Britney Spears episode save Glee?
(Image credit: Getty)

Last week, after months of rumors, "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy, told "Entertainment Tonight" that the show's writers are working on an episode focused on Britney Spears. This comes at a time when critics are warning that the FOX show, which scored 19 Emmy nominations and spawned best-selling albums in its first season, may face an inevitable sophomore slump. Will a "Britney episode" make for a perfect mash-up and help "Glee" avoid that fate, or will it play as a gimmicky train wreck? (Watch "Glee" cast members discuss the Spears episode)

It may depend on whether Britney actually guest-stars: If it's just a tribute to her music, that's one thing, says Brett Berk in Vanity Fair. Otherwise, "they may want to avoid The Entourage Effect, which seems to plague almost every thriving program, and resist the urge to load up each episode with as many splashy/trashy A- or B-list celebrity appearances as possible," he said. "There is enough struggling Broadway show-trash... out there to keep this series loaded with discoveries for 40 years" without resorting to the Beyonces and Britneys.

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