“Glee” Is Hilarious, Entertaining, Yet Lacking Surprising Ingredient

The “Glee” pilot, which aired after the penultimate “American Idol” episode this season, was built around the cast’s show-stopping rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing.” Cliched as it was at the time–“Family Guy” and “The Sopranos” had recently milked as much excitement as one could ever imagine from a 1981 Journey song–the “Glee” rendition became the all-time best performing version of the single.

With that kind of debut, especially given the fact that the show does revolve around a glee club, one would expect the show to produce more brilliant musical numbers. However, after reviewing the first four “Glee” episodes, one thing is clear–the musical performances are laughably bad.

That is not to say some will not follow “Don’t Stop Believing” in doing well on the charts; there is always an appeal in hearing covers of recognizable pop tunes. But it is to say that the component one would expect to be most fruitful in “Glee” is the show’s only major drawback.

Witnessed in performances like “Gold Digger,” the real trouble lies in the horrendous mixing. While the nature of filming performances for a television show typically requires lip-syncing, it does not require an absurd inconsistency between the audio and the visuals. With untraceable background vocals, instrumentation that does not exist in the shot and cutaways (Lea Michele’s “Take a Bow,” for instance, more closely resembles a cheesy music video than a stage performance), there is no illusion about the fact that the songs were not recorded in coherence with the scene. It makes sense to create “studio recordings” of the singles for iTunes distribution; it does not, however, make sense to use studio recordings in lieu of stage performances. The scenes just come across as cheap and ineffective.

The musical issue is a shame, because the show is superbly written and hilarious. With a self-aware cast that is directed to play perfectly to its strengths, every moment “pops,” with humor–whether it be sexually-charged, slapstick or witty banter–that is infinitely effective. Though it is no “The Office” or “30 Rock” in terms of generating brilliant sitcom laughs, it is far funnier and more biting than anyone could expect from a show that, on the surface, might be compared to the shows on ABC Family’s dramedy roster.

The humor will undoubtedly be criticized by some as excessive and over-the-top. It is. But while the show definitely gets quite absurd in presenting jokes (it almost feels as if the writers are going out of the way to have their show portrayed as a comedy rather than a teen soap), the best thing about “Glee” is that the writers generally keep tabs on the human side. Episode two struggles a bit (and really does not expand the pilot in terms of character development), but by episode four, the show has a unique and appealing voice. Though it typically aims to create emotion via silliness (the use of “Single Ladies” in the fourth episode), a fantastic (albeit cliched) scene with Chris Colfer’s Kurt and his father (Mike O’Malley) proves that the show knows how to make people feel.

And don’t feel inclined to write off the humor as being in the show for humor’s sake–a seemingly throwaway line from the second episode (sort of like a “Family Guy” gag) emerges as a plot point in the fourth episode. The writers want to portray “Glee” as an offbeat comedy, but they also have a clear story to tell.

Plus, if there were any doubt that a show like “Glee” could make viewers laugh, the presence of Jane Lynch positively erases the doubt. Unbelievably brilliant in her role as Sue–virtually everything she says is funny–Lynch continues her streak of comedy domination that included stealing scenes in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Role Models” and “Party Down,” all of which feature some of the most talented comedic personalities in the business. Yes, the character is nothing new for the typecast Lynch, but it is so great to see the actress unaltered and at her best in a mainstream network series.

Elsewhere, Jayma Mays maintains her standing as the most adorable actress on television as Emma (especially in her joint handling of her feelings for Will and the advances of Ken), while Matthew Morrison quickly overcomes the surface comparison to “90210”‘s Ryan Eggold with a solid turn as the protagonist Will. Within the student circle, Colfer’s Kurt is at the top of the pack, although Lea Michele understands the Rachel Berry character well and shows moments of greatness. Dianna Agron also deserves credit (as does casting) for her turn as Quinn; she adds some color and realism to a character that is essentially scripted to be a cliche.

For as good as the show is overall, it is largely going to be the comedy and performances (acting and the music) that dictate the show’s survival prospects. There is a clear plot with multiple story elements brewing, but the show definitely does not go out of its way in directing the characters and storylines. A lot of it is in media res–the first few episodes could easily be mid-second season episodes regarding how little is done in terms of introducing the key players–so there are few initial plot developments and character evolutions that will truly “hook” the viewer.

But for those impressed by the pilot and drawn to a show that features offbeat humor and quirky performances in a relatable, mainstream setting, there is plenty in the first few episodes about which to get excited. With The CW and ABC Family going back-to-the-basics in terms of their teen drama rosters (“Gossip Girl” and “Greek” are more clever than most, but nothing on the two young adult-skewing networks is groundbreaking), “Glee” is a welcome addition to the landscape. It gives viewers great acting, pointed writing and truly hysterical comedy. Plus, though the recording issue needs to be addressed, it has the added bonus of interesting musical covers.

The next megahit? No. But “Glee” remains one of the bright spots of the 2009-10 premieres.