If the musical choir New Directions is mentioned, the William Mckinley High School may come to mind and, therefore, the teenage musical series Glee. Since its debut on the Fox network in 2009, and after six seasons and 121 episodes aired, which ended on March 20, 2015, Glee has become an undisputed hit show. The perfect formula of combining social issues that concern adolescents, such as bullying, friendships, self-esteem or sexual orientation, mixed with musical interpretations and choreography, led Glee to be a mass phenomenon.
Added to all this splendor was a cast of little-known young actors who, due to the success of the series, became the stars of the moment and who were catapulted to fame in a short time.
However, behind all the glitz of Glee there is also a shadow that is not to be missed. Producer Ryan Murphy's series, which is currently available in its entirety on Disney, has garnered controversy, controversy and tragedy. The scope of the dark side of Glee is such that a documentary series has been made: Glee: the cursed series, which will premiere on August 2 at 10 p.m. on the Warner TV channel.
The docuseries deals with the three tragedies that shocked the public the most. One of them, the death of Cory Monteith, known for playing Finn Hudson. In 2013 and at the age of 31, the actor was found dead due to an overdose of drugs and alcohol.
Another of the most shocking deaths was the suicide of Mark Salling –Noah Puck in the series– on the banks of the Sundland River in Los Angeles. The actor took his own life in 2018 after admitting his guilt for having more than 50,000 images of child pornography, a crime for which he was going to be sentenced to four to seven years in prison.
The most recent tragedy that surrounds Glee is the strange death of Naya Rivera, recognized for being an LGTBIQ reference for her homosexual character, Santana López. On July 8, 2020, Naya, 33, went with her son to a lake to spend the day. The 4-year-old boy assures that his mother went swimming and that she never came back; five days later, the body of the actress was rescued lifeless.
The documentary collects the testimonies of the people closest to the protagonists. He provides statements from Cory Monteith's friends, investigates Mark Salling's inner circle, which reveals exclusive details about the actor, and finally, Naya Rivera's father pays tribute to her daughter by reviewing her professional career . In addition, the show features input from stylists, publicists, and art director Michael Rizzo.
The documentary will consist of three chapters that "inquire into the events" that could have led the protagonists to the end of their lives. And it asks if popularity and fame exceeded the limits of the actors. Be that as it may, the series will hardly be able to get rid of its dark image, as if it were a curse.
