By Kenneth Jones
28 Jul 2009

Lea Michele in "Glee."
photo by FOX-TV

FOX-TV will air the series premiere of "Glee" — the hourlong musical series about a high school vocal group — a week earlier than planned, on Sept. 9 rather than Sept. 16.

The May 19 airing of the pilot episode, featuring Broadway stars and series regulars Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele, was well-reviewed; it's available on the network's website. The Sept. 9 series premiere at 9-10 PM (ET) — check local listings for time and channel in your area — follows the season premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance" and will be followed by an encore airing Sept. 11.

Morrison (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza) plays an eager but harried teacher who takes over directing the glee club of the high school where he was once a student. The group includes perky perfectionist Lea Michele (Spring Awakening).

The series will also feature Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber, Debra Monk and other theatre stars.

According to FOX notes, "'Glee' is an uplifting series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), as he tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the high school's glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential. It's not an easy task when the pitch-imperfect club includes Mercedes (Amber Riley), a forceful diva-in-training; Arty (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist; Kurt (Chris Colfer), a dramatic soprano; Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), a punk rocker; and self-proclaimed 'star' Rachel (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker.

"McKinley's cruel high school caste system prevents the glee club from flourishing, so Will recruits Finn (Cory Monteith), the quarterback with movie star looks, to join the group even though he wants to protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend, Quinn (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant teammate, Puck (Mark Salling). With harsh criticism from everyone, including Will's tough-as-nails wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) and McKinley's egotistical cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), he is determined to prove them all wrong and lead the glee club to the greatest competition of them all: Nationals."

Glee will feature a soundtrack of hit songs from past and present. It's produced by Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are co-creators of the series. Murphy, Falchuk and Dante Di Loreto serve as executive producers, while Ian Brennan and John Kousakis serve as co-executive producers. Murphy directed the pilot.

The cast of "Glee."
photo by FOX-TV