Glee is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues.

The initial main cast encompassed club director and Spanish (later History) teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), Will's wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), and eight club members played by Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Mark Salling and Jenna Ushkowitz. For the second season, formerly recurring cast members Mike O'Malley, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera were promoted to the main cast. In the third season the main cast remained at fifteen, with Harry Shum Jr. and Darren Criss promoted to it, while Gilsig and O'Malley no longer received star billing. The fourth season began with fourteen in the main cast, with Chord Overstreet being promoted, and Mays and Agron were removed and demoted to recurring cast. The fifth season saw the biggest change, with Monteith's death, and Morris, Riley, Salling and Shum all being switched to recurring status. At the same time, Jacob Artist, Melissa Benoist, Blake Jenner, Alex Newell and Becca Tobin were promoted to the main cast and are credited as such for the season, though they appear only in the first thirteen of the twenty episodes, after which New Directions is disbanded and the series shifts to the glee club alumni in New York City for the remainder of the season. The sixth and final season's main cast was reduced to nine: Colfer, Criss, Lynch, McHale, Michele, Morrison and Overstreet continued from the previous season, Riley returned to the main cast, and Dot-Marie Jones as football coach Shannon (later Sheldon) Beiste was promoted to it.

The series has many supporting characters, including faculty members, students and relatives of the glee club members. Broadway stars including Idina Menzel, John Lloyd Young, Jonathan Groff, Phoebe Strole and Kristin Chenoweth have been featured in guest roles. A number of the principal actors were cast directly from Broadway, while those without theatrical backgrounds were required to demonstrate singing and dancing as well as acting ability.

Casting

In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, Murphy spent three months on Broadway, where he found Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), who had previously starred on stage in Hairspray and The Light in the Piazza, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry), who starred in Spring Awakening, and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang), from the Broadway revival of The King and I. The role of Rachel was written specifically for Michele.^[1]

Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel) had originally auditioned to play Artie Abrams. Although Colfer had no previous professional experience, Murphy was so impressed by Colfer's performance that the role of Kurt Hummel, named after the character Kurt from The Sound of Music, was created for him.^[2]

Auditioning actors with no theatrical experience were required to demonstrate their ability to sing and dance. Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury) auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" from The Rocky Horror Show, while Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson) initially submitted a tape of himself acting only, and was requested to submit a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling".^[2] Cory Monteith has deemed his casting "spot on" as his lack of formal training is reflected in the abilities of his character, Finn Hudson.^[3]

Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams) came from a boy-band background, having previously been part of the group NLT. He auditioned with the song "Let It Be" and tested alongside Colfer and Ushkowitz.^[1] McHale explained that the diversity of the cast's backgrounds reflects the range of different musical styles within the show itself: "It's a mix of everything: classic rock, current stuff, R&B. Even the musical theater stuff is switched up. You won't always recognize it."^[2] Jane Lynch was originally intended to have a recurring role in the show, but became a series regular when a Damon Wayans pilot she was working on for ABC fell through.^[4]

Dianna Agron (Quinn Fabray) was the last primary actor to be cast, having won the role only days before the pilot began filming.^[5] Agron auditioned for Glee coming from a background in dancing and acting.^[6] Agron said in a 2009 interview pertaining to her casting session: "I nearly bailed on my audition for the show. I was so nervous". With her wholesome good looks, Agron certainly looked the part, but the producers wondered if she appeared too innocent. Agron said in an interview: "They told me to come back with straight hair and to dress sexier. Later that week, I started work."^[7] Agron auditioned with Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon".^[5] The Glee producers said "we really lucked out in finding Agron to play Quinn".^[5]

Table of cast members