The Glee reboot is officially moving forward at Disney+ and Hulu, which announced a series order on October 21. Original co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan have written a script, while 20th Television, the studio behind the Fox series, will produce the revival.
That is the firm part. No cast members, premiere date, production schedule or story details have been announced. The microphones may be ready, but the seating chart remains blank.
What has Ryan Murphy said about the revival?
Murphy told Entertainment Tonight in September that he, Falchuk and Brennan had completed a script. The trio wrote the original show's first two seasons together.
"We have a script," Murphy said. "Brad, Ian and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, have written something."
He also claimed to have contacted roughly 10 members of the original cast, describing them as enthusiastic and full of questions. That group could potentially include performers such as Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Harry Shum Jr., Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale, although none has been confirmed.
Murphy sounded less certain during a September 23 appearance on Good Morning America. He described the discussions as exploratory and said, "Maybe I shouldn't, I don't know." The subsequent series order answers whether the project is proceeding, but not who has agreed to proceed with it.
Why is an original cast reunion uncertain?
Several former stars have publicly left the door open. Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry throughout all six seasons, told E! News she still loved the series and would "follow Ryan wherever he goes."
Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Tina Cohen-Chang, said in 2022 that she would consider returning if Murphy and the right people were involved. Kevin McHale was sceptical that another series would ever happen, but added a useful qualification: "Until Ryan Murphy says so."
Chris Colfer offered a more cautious response before the order was announced. Speaking to Bustle, the Kurt Hummel actor said he had not been approached.
"I know nothing and have heard absolutely nothing," Colfer said. He described the original production as "a really tough show to do" and said returning would be difficult without Naya Rivera.
There is also a conflicting account of Murphy's outreach. TMZ reported on October 1, citing unnamed sources, that some former cast members had not returned his calls. Those sources alleged lingering resentment over exhausting production schedules, limited raises and perceived favouritism toward Michele. They characterised the contact as an attempt to repair strained relationships. Murphy did not respond to TMZ's report.
The claims remain anonymous and unconfirmed, but they complicate the tidier version in which everyone received a phone call and immediately began rehearsing.
What legacy will the new series have to address?
The original Glee ran for 121 episodes across six seasons on Fox from 2009 to 2015. It won six Primetime Emmy Awards and became an unusually prominent network showcase for LGBTQ characters and young performers who rarely received comparable attention on television at the time.
Any return will also carry significant absences. Cory Monteith died in 2013, Mark Salling in 2018 and Naya Rivera in 2020. No reporting has established how the script handles their characters, their deaths or the wider history attached to the original production.
McHale has described the cast as a group that grew up together while making a series whose international success exceeded their expectations. That shared history could give a revival genuine emotional weight. It could also make assembling the old ensemble considerably more complicated than issuing a cheerful press release.
For now, Disney+ and Hulu have ordered the series, and its three creators have supplied a script. Everything audiences are most likely to ask next, including who returns, what the story is and when filming begins, remains unanswered.
