Five pros and cons to shaking up the show
Is Glee leaving Lima, Ohio, forever? While there’s been no official confirmation, reports are swirling that the Fox series – which has been in turmoil since star Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose on July 13th – may soon do away with mainstay McKinley High and permanently relocate to New York City. While some of the characters, including Rachel (Lea Michele) and Kurt (Chris Colfer), have already made the move, it would still be a seismic shift, considering most of the cast currently wanders the halls of the fictional Midwestern school. Here are five pros and cons of this possible change for the New Directions kids.
Watch Cory Monteith’s Most Memorable Glee Performances
The Elephant in the Room
Monteith’s death led to his beloved character Finn Hudson being killed off. While the writers and producers have tried to both gloss over it and address it head-on, there’s just no getting around it: Glee will never be the same. So why not just rip the whole thing up and start over again? Filming will likely remain in Hollywood, but leaving McKinley in the past will help the show move forward.
Pick a City and Stick With It
Let’s face it: Beyond Monteith’s death, Glee hasn’t been the show fans fell in love with since Season Three, when Ryan Murphy and Co. broke up the original cast. So while it was upsetting when they moved some of the action to Gotham, it doesn’t feel like a big deal now (especially since the split-city storyline still feels jarring after two years).
Bye Bye Bree
Leaving Lima behind means the show could easily slough off some dead-weight characters. (Do we really need a second-rate Santana and Brittany in the form of Bree and Kitty?) The only problem would be keeping the core intact. How would coach Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and Cheerio leader Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) make their way to the Big Apple? And, more importantly, where would small potatoes (but no less charming) characters like Beiste and Principal Figgins fit in?
If I Can Make It There. . .
Then there’s New York itself – who doesn’t love a show set in the capital of the world? The city would serve as its own character, offering new settings, storylines and adventures. (They just have to be careful not to make it too eye-rollingly unbelievable.) Plus, fans will get to see their favorite characters finally live out their Broadway dreams. But, then again, if that’s what viewers had wanted to see, NBC’s short-lived series Smash would probably still be on the air.
An End in Sight
Really, though, it all comes back to Monteith’s death. If Finn was still alive, there’s no way this move would (or should) happen. Once the choice is made, the old Glee we know will be gone forever. But isn’t that the case already? Perhaps the city’s skyline will block the dark cloud just long enough for the series to end on a high note.
