“There is nothing ironic about show choir!”

    This, along with many other quotable lines, is one of the many things that make Glee the current TV season’s newest hit.

    You know how something can be not so original and completely, utterly original at the same time? Glee snugly fits into this category. It stars Matthew Morrison, of Broadway fame (he played Link Larkin- Zac Efron’s Hairspray role- before Zac ever did), as Will Schuester, a high school Spanish teacher determined to bring his school’s glee club back into its prime. The show chronicles his journey towards this goal, and all the obstacles and people he deals with on the way. Glee also stars Lea Michele as the glee club’s star singer Rachel Berry, and Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson, the- you guessed it- jock with a hidden talent for singing. The supporting cast is an array of enjoyable personalities that make the show an even worthier watch. Memorable members include Chris Colfer as the flamboyant Kurt (if you’ve heard people in your school rambling about the Single Ladies dance once again- then it’s about him) and Jane Lynch as the sarcastic and brutal Sue Sylvester.

    At first glance, it seems like an attempt at High School Musical: The TV Series- people break out into song, for one thing. Besides the basic setting and a few plot elements, however, there really aren't much similarities. I’m a High School Musical fan myself, but I have to say that Glee is a much rawer, yet still highly entertaining musical show. It speaks of real teenage and high school issues, including drug use and minority groups. The musical numbers themselves are highly enjoyable, and fit in smoothly with the main storyline of the show and the scenes themselves. From Broadway showtunes you've heard in your school musical to the Top 40 hits you enjoy and to the 80’s pop and rock your parents still enjoy, the music in Glee is absolutely catchy. The better part is that the cast’s voices, all appealing and with their own style, manage to provide an interesting twist to the songs they sing. A great example of this is Rachel’s version of “Take A Bow”, originally by Rihanna. The arrangement is exactly the same, but Lea Michele’s cover adds a pure sincerity to the song, emphasizing on its message of heartbreak rather than Rihanna’s message of closure, to fit the former's character storyline.

    The show also manages to balance many things- it can make you want to laugh endlessly in one scene and cry the next. Not to mention that it also walks the line of focusing on Will’s story and the students’ stories gracefully, that each episode leaves you full of all its aspects, and leave you wanting more.

    Glee helps me conquer my tough senior year by being that happy thing that I get to watch every week. An episode leaves you feeling truly refreshed, and well, gleeful. If you think I’m just using the most obvious pun, watch it for yourself and prepare to be surprised.

    Glee comes on Wednesdays at 9pm PST, on Channel 10 (Global), or you can watch episodes of it online at globaltv.com