Archive for 15 February, 2010
Glee – so much more than a High School Musical
I’m loving the first series of Glee (currently on E4 and Channel4 in the UK). If you haven’t seen it, it’s perhaps best described as High School Musical for grownups, a dark-ishly comic look at life inside a fictional all-American high school, centred around performances from the school’s Glee Club ( a kind of Broadway-style choir).
But Glee is more than just an uplifting bit of musical fun, it’s a multi-platform entertainment brand.
Every week, selected songs from the previous episode are released on itunes. ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ is currently at number 5, enjoying it’s 9th week in the UK charts, while the Glee cast has another three tracks in the top 40. With over two million tracks sold worldwide to date, it would seem that the show essentially pays for itself before any advertising or syndication revenue is taken into account.
With Glee season 2 already on the way, a Golden Globe for Best TV series in the bag, an upcoming Joss ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Whedon directed episode plus rumours of a stadium tour and Christmas single, you’ve gotta believe that this one will run and run.
