Because of scheduling considerations in the print TIME, my review of the Glee pilot—debuting after American Idol’s final sing-off May 19—is in the issue on newsstands today.
I like the pilot. A lot. I have been referencing and tweeting abut Glee so often since seeing it that I am probably in danger of overhyping it, so let me say: it is not perfect. Many of the characters, the high school kids in particular, fall into very broad, stock stereotypes: the jocks, the nerds, the sassy black chick, the crypto-gay kid, etc. That’s been a weakness of Ryan Murphy’s shows, especially in the beginning: I didn’t like the pilot of Popular at all, but it quickly grew into one of my favorite teen shows in the era of the now-departed WB. But the adult characters are better drawn, and overall Glee is the best, most entertaining pilot I’ve seen in probably a couple years, so I have confidence.
OK, starting to overhype again. Will shut up now. Let the backlash begin!