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Expectations are "as high as an elephant's eye" for "Glee," the new one-hour FOX musical series that starts its weekly run Sept. 9 (Wednesdays, 9 PM ET), and features a mix of Broadway, Top 40, R&B and country music.

Ten million viewers watched the May 19 pilot (available on FOX.com and hulu.com), aired directly following the "American Idol" season finale. "Blissfully unoriginal in a witty, imaginative way," observed the New York Times reviewer. The Los Angeles Times critic claimed it was "the first show in a long time that's just plain full-throttle, no-guilty-pleasure-rationalizations-necessary fun." Asked Entertainment Weekly, "Has there ever been a TV show more aptly named?" And the New York Post's Pop Wrap dubbed it "2009's best new series."

Murphy, Brennan, and Brad Falchuk wrote a pilot, which Murphy described to the L.A. Times (April 26) as "the anti-'High School Musical.'" FOX quickly picked it up.

Dating back at least as far as "That's Life," the 1968 show that starred Robert Morse in an original musical comedy each week, there have been previous TV-musical series — e.g. "Cop Rock," "Viva Laughlin" — but none of them succeeded. "Glee," Murphy told Variety, "is a different genre, there's nothing like it on the networks and cable." He 's currently directing the feature "Eat, Pray, Love."

The series focuses on idealistic teacher Will Scheuster, "Mr. Scheu" (Matthew Morrison), who teaches Spanish at the Lima, OH, McKinley High School that he formerly attended. He takes charge of the glee club, New Directions — seeking to motivate the students, make them a success, and shepherd them to the Nationals' competition.

	Lea Michele and Chris Colfer in "Glee"
	photo by Carin Baer/FOX

Comprising the glee club are six students: Lea Michele (the bullied Rachel), Cory Monteith (who's 27, playing the decade younger strapping jock, Finn), Kevin McHale (physically challenged geeky guitarist Artie), Amber Riley (Mercedes, up-front about refusing to sing back-up), Chris Colfer (the closeted Kurt) and Jenna Ushkowitz (a shy punk rocker). Important to the plots are Dianna Agron (as Quinn, Finn's cheerleader-girlfriend) and Finn's best friend, fellow football-team member Puck (Mark Salling).

Artie is a wheelchair user, and one of the future numbers has the glee club all in wheelchairs. Colfer experienced difficulties in high school in wanting to sing "Defying Gravity," because it's considered a female's song. That experience inspired a plotline on one of the episodes.

Among the songs in store this season: Kanye West's "Gold Digger," Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer," Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," Rihanna's "Take a Bow," Celine Dion's "Taking Chances," Beyonce's "Single Ladies," Jasmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows," Celine Dion's "All by Myself," Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On," Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown's "No Air," Queen's "Somebody to Love," Carrie Underwood's "Last Name," Chic's "Le Freak" – and, from the Broadway front: "Tonight" (West Side Story), "Maybe This Time" (Cabaret), numbers from Wicked, and "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Funny Girl).

Jane Lynch practically steals the show as Will's nemesis, Sue Sylvester, coach of "the Cheerios," the school's cheerleaders. Having seen two new "Glee" episodes, I can report that Sue's character is even more over the top than on the pilot. Lynch excels in the role, coming across as a butch Cruella de Vil who stops just short of hissing, spewing venom, and pursuing puppies.

Other adults include Will's wife, Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig, who did 17 "Nip/Tuck" episodes); Will's colleague Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), who has a crush on him; Ken (Patrick Gallagher), the football coach who, in turn, likes Emma; Mr. Figgins (Iqbal Theba), the principal; and Sandy Kenyon (Stephen Tobolowsky), the glee-club leader whom Will replaced.

In the two new episodes, the club performs for the first time in front of the student body; Will gets an extra job; Rachel encounters more self-esteem and jealousy problems; and Kurt goes out for football — with some surprising results. The series' best moment, thus far, is a very touching scene — beautifully written and acted — shared by Kurt and his father (Mike O'Malley).

To promote the series, several cast members participated in an August tour — 10 cities, 12 days — garnering enthusiastic reactions and increasing the volume of positive buzz among "Gleeks" (the appellation for fans).

Estimated cost of each episode? $3 million. Shooting time per show? Ten days. Between five and eight musical numbers are featured each week. Among the coming guest stars are Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth, John Lloyd Young, Debra Monk, plus Cheyenne Jackson, Victor Garber, Josh Groban, Eve.

Filmed at Hollywood's Paramount Studios, the first 13 episodes have been shot, and it's believed that the "back nine" will be green-lighted, in short order, to complete a full season.

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	Lea Michele in "Glee"
	photo by Carin Baer/FOX

After Lea Michele was cast as Rachel Berry, she learned that Murphy had written the character for her. "I wish I'd known; I would have been less nervous at my audition." She laughs. "I didn't think I'd ever be as lucky to find a part that's so right for me."

Michele, according to the New Times reviewer, "stands out as...the talented and monstrously ambitious self-promoting star singer of the glee club." The Los Angeles Times critic observed that Michele "appears positioned for major stardom with this role."

"I'd met Ryan [Murphy]," she recalls, "when I visited Jonathan [Groff, her Spring Awakening co-star] on the set of 'Pretty/Handsome' [an unsold Murphy pilot]." Since her pilot had a different fate, I jokingly ask if Groff still speaks to her?

"Of course. If that were true, he wouldn't be my best friend. Our scenes in Spring Awakening [Michele played Wendla to Groff's Melchior] brought us very close. I stay with him every time I'm in New York. Hopefully, he'll be on 'Glee' on one of the 'back nine' episodes."

For her audition, she sang "On My Own" and a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie. Favorites among the songs she's performed on the show include "Don't Rain on My Parade" ("a great moment; I'm a huge Barbra fan"), "Defying Gravity" ("with Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt"), and a duet from Cabaret "that I do with Kristin Chenoweth. We had a great time with her. She's so funny."

Already a stage veteran at 23, Michele was a replacement Young Cosette and Young Eponine in Les Miserables, the Little Girl in Ragtime, Chava in the Fiddler on the Roof revival, and a Drama Desk nominee for Spring Awakening. "When I was Rachel's age, I knew what it was to want to perform."

If "Glee" succeeds, is Michele committed to the series? With a laugh recalling any actor lucky enough to be working steadily, she replies, "Are you kidding?"