Glee was immensely popular during its time on Fox, accounting for over 120 episodes during its six-season run. The series, created by Ian Brennan and brought to the small screen by Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy, followed a group of misfits in high school as they join a glee club led by their passionate Spanish teacher Mr. Schue.
Matthew Morrison was in one of the lead roles as Mr. Schue, keeping the group together across the endless drama the club faced. Although the show dealt with some heavy themes and legitimate issues, the series was a lighthearted comedy at its core that served as a fun hour-long show during its primetime slot.
However, Ryan Murphy recently appeared as a guest on the And That's What You REALLY Missed podcast, hosted by Glee stars Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz. During his time on the pod, the creator discussed the original direction the series would take and why Glee was almost an NC-17-rated version. Insider captured his comments, which present a stark contrast to the pilot that aired in 2009. Before the show's development, Murphy says he reached an overall deal with Fox, with plans to make a musical TV show. He wasn't sure how he would create a successful series out of the idea, but eventually, someone came to help him out.
"While we were having these conversations and I was trying to figure it out. Like serendipity, I went to the gym and I was in a towel and a guy went up and handed me a script and he said, 'I had a feeling you were in show choir, am I right?' And I was like 'Yeah.' And he said, 'My friend wrote this script and you should read it.'"
Murphy claimed the script furthered his inspiration for the series, though co-creator Ian Brennan's initial script was a far darker version than the final product.
"Mr. Schue, I believe, was a crystal meth addict in Ian's script. The NC-17 version of our show choir with a weird protagonist who was unraveling."
Ultimately, Murphy would push for something a little more family-friendly while dealing with mature topics that both younger and older audiences could enjoy. It seems as though the writer made the right choice, as Glee is still one of the most popular musical TV series ever produced.
Glee Almost Had a Different Actor for Mr. Schue
Matthew Morrison appeared in every episode of Glee, joining Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, and Kevin McHale as the only actors on the series to do so. He was one of the backbones of Fox's hit show; however, Morrison almost wasn't involved with the series at all. According to Ryan Murphy, Glee was explicitly written with one actor in mind.
"When we were writing the pilot, I've never really talked about this, that pilot was written for Justin Timberlake," Murphy explains. Mr. Schue was written for Justin." Of course, Timberlake made a name for himself with the boy band NSYNC before venturing into the acting field with major films such as The Social Network, Friends with Benefits, and In Time.
His popularity was sky-high around the time Glee was getting started, ad Timberlake's presence would've been a massive draw to the new series. However, few could argue that Morrison was perfect in the role. Either way, Glee remained a constant success due to the mashup of current hit songs, an excellent cast, and lighthearted comedy mixed with mature themes. All six seasons of Glee are available to stream right now on Disney+.