COMEDY
When Glee aired its pilot in May, the show promised to be one of fall's high points. That verdict stands. Moving into new episodes, though, what seemed like a grown-up High School Musical, a sparkling little satirical show about a high school singing group, is more clearly the work of Ryan Murphy, the gleefully malicious mind behind Nip/Tuck. Jane Lynch, as a cheerleading coach determined to squelch any projects that don't serve her needs, has gone from campily monstrous to rapaciously cruel. She's like some weird fascist allegory. And a story about pregnancy is so nutty it seems to have barged in from a telenovela. These shifts in tone don't lessen my affection for Glee—there are touching moments too, and the song routines remain happily sharp. It just means this adventurous show requires close watching.
