When the campy TV show Glee was released in 2009, the world fell in love with a group of jazz-hand-wielding misfits at the fictional William McKinley High School. The series, created by Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk, was praised for not only putting theater kids in the spotlight, but for tackling topics like sexuality, race and mental health (though not always gracefully), and won six Emmys along the way. For six years, a loyal legion of fans watched a fresh-faced Lea Michele belt Broadway tunes week after week as Rachel Berry. But in 2015, the show ended under a set of tragic circumstances.
Cory Monteith, who played leading man Finn, died from an overdose in 2013 while the show was grappling with failing ratings. Mark Salling, who starred as the football player Puck, died in 2018 at 35, and his co-star Naya Rivera, who played the fierce cheerleader Santana, died in 2020 at 33. At the same time, certain cast members started speaking out about a toxic culture on set. It felt like a dark cloud had been cast over the legacy of a show that once brought so many people (myself included) so much joy.
