Like It Or Not, We’re Getting a ‘Glee’ Revival

Ryan Murphy has apparently made good on his threat to bring back Glee.

News broke Wednesday morning that Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a revival of the hit show, which ended its six season run in 2015. It was just a few months ago that Murphy, who co-created the series with Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, mentioned he was interested in bringing Glee back in some fashion. By September, that had spiraled into an acknowledgement that the three went ahead and wrote a new script and had been in touch with several original cast members.

At the time, several cast members, including Lea Michele, expressed interest in returning to the halls of McKinley High (or wherever the revival takes them). Variety reported that Michelle will step back into her sweater-clad role of Rachel Berry. Chord Overstreet, who played Sam aka Trouty Mouth, tweeted “Reunited and it feels so good!” following the revival announcement. On the flip side, fan favorite Chris Colfer hilariously said just a few weeks ago, “I know nothing and have heard absolutely nothing.”

“But I do know that Glee fans would probably come after me with pitchforks and jazz hands if I said no,” he added.

While very little is known about the upcoming revival at this time, the announcement has been met with mixed reactions, even from diehard Gleeks. Fans often had a love-hate relationship with the series over its original run, and some are worried that bringing it back will tarnish whatever peace they found with where the characters ended up.

This is particularly present among fans of the relationship between Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) and Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris). After many ups and downs, the characters ultimately got married in the show. However, Rivera tragically passed away in 2020, while Morris appears to have confirmed that she will be returning to Glee, leaving fans concerned about how the series will approach the fictional relationship.

heather just confirmed she’s returning. ryan murphy listen to me: DO NOT TOUCH BRITTANA https://t.co/MxiRx8p2Ak

— emma ꨄ︎ gleek (@klainepilled) October 21, 2026

here’s what i’m gonna do to ryan murphy if he dares to ruin brittana in the glee reboot https://t.co/s2y8RlHCYe

— sky ミ☆ (@dreamskyrivera) October 21, 2026

The original series already dealt with the loss of a cast member during its run. Cory Monteith died in 2013, resulting in the show killing off his character, Finn, and paying homage to Monteith in the process. Mark Salling, who played Puck, later committed suicide in 2018 after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.

For all of Glee’s in-universe mess—and there was so, so much mess—it’s difficult to overstate how significant the series was for queer viewers when it premiered in 2009. The television landscape has shifted dramatically since then, and Gen Z’s sensibilities and expectations have diverged from those of the original millennial audience. 

It will be interesting to see how Murphy & company approach a revival, to say the least. Will it cater to the original audience? Try to reinvent itself for modern day? Who’s returning? What behind-the-scenes drama will unfold? Which modern day songs will be twisted anew for this series? It’s hard to imagine a new version of Glee that manages to recapture the impact and magic of the first one. But whether we want it or not, the show, apparently, must go on.