The 'fantastic' Glee premiere: Is the show back on track?

A witty, energetic, and focused kick-off to season three encourages critics who'd lamented that the hit Fox series had lost its mojo

The third seasons of Glee
(Image credit: Adam Rose/FOX)

By the time the members of New Directions, the underdog glee club at the heart of Glee, belted out their final number in the Fox series's second season, the general consensus was that the one-time critical darling was hitting more than a few bum notes. Fans and critics alike complained about the show's overabundance of characters, treacly PSA-like messages, and tonal inconsistencies, prompting series' creator Ryan Murphy to promise a return to the core characters and irreverent tone that made the series connect. Was Glee's season-three premiere, which aired Tuesday night, a step in the right direction?

Glee is back: "Something miraculous happened over the summer," says John Kubicek at Buddy TV. "The show became great again." Mercifully, the episode didn't take itself too seriously. The humor was back, even in Kurt and Rachel's exercise in self-loathing after a humiliating college audition experience. Even better, the musical numbers — from an irrepressible version of The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat" to a euphoric rendition of Hairspray's "You Can't Stop the Beat" — "totally rocked."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us