I was introduced to Glee about a year ago when my friends and sister decided that I absolutely needed to see the show. They formed a sort of intervention at their house where we proceeded to watch a straight nine hours of the first season. It took only the first episode for me to convince myself that I was attached. 
    The story line itself is enough to make any teenager tune in every week, but that was only part of the reason for my liking it. For those who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this show, it follows the lives of a group of high school students who attend McKinley High School and are members of their school’s glee club. It shows the daily struggles and prejudices of those in this club that the rest of the school population deems to be “losers.” It’s not exactly a great portrayal of how high school really is, and it definitely does not have great messages, but it is certainly entertaining. 
    Almost every episode has a theme. The writers somehow work that theme into the story. For instance, in one episode, the teacher/glee club leader proposes that each member of the club find a partner and sing a duet. All the drama that accompanies such a small task at this school makes for a very entertaining episode. But what really makes these episodes special are the songs that they sing. With each theme, they sing songs from the chosen artist or challenge. Sometimes the characters sing these songs as a performance, and sometimes they are simply expressing their own thoughts and feelings using already-famous songs. In an episode about their trip to New York, they sing songs like “New York, New York,” “I Love New York,” and after breaking into the Broadway theater “For Good” from the musical “Wicked.”
    The songs that they choose to sing are very important because they are a part of the story line. I cannot remember an episode when I actually saw these students in class because they are always at their glee club meetings singing or starting some sort of drama. The show averages about five songs per episode and all usually revolve around a central theme. There have been episodes about Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and The Rocky Horror Show. Also, the writers do a great job of making the songs fit with what is happening in the show. When one of the characters finds out he’s going to be a father he sings, “I’ll Stand by You,” and when another character is told that her boyfriend did not feel fireworks when they kissed, she proceeded to sing “Firework.” 
    Just about every actor or actress in Glee can either sing or dance. I cannot imagine anyone getting a part on this show without having those abilities because it plays such an important role. It becomes obvious after hearing just one of their songs. I am still convinced to this day that the main actress, Lea Michelle, has the best voice that I have ever heard. After being a Broadway star, she decided to come to Glee. But she’s not the only one with a great voice. I have found myself loving their versions of songs a lot more than the originals, which is not easy to do, considering that I really like the originals. Nevertheless, they are all great performers.
    I wouldn’t recommend this show to anyone under the age of at least 18, but once you’re there, it’s definitely worth a watch or listen.