More than a decade after the final curtain closed at William McKinley High School, Glee is officially returning to television. On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Disney+ and Hulu granted a formal series order to a new iteration of the hit musical comedy-drama. Produced by 20th Television, the studio behind the original broadcast run, the project brings one of the early 2010s' biggest pop culture franchises into the streaming era.

The original series aired for six seasons on Fox from 2009 to 2015, tracking the personal and musical lives of the New Directions show choir in Lima, Ohio. While Disney's initial announcement confirmed the studio and streaming platforms, it kept specific creative details under wraps. At the time of the series order, no official logline, production schedule, premiere date, or casting confirmations were disclosed.

Behind the Scenes: The Creative Team and Script

Although Disney's Wednesday press release did not officially list executive producers or cast members, the groundwork for the return has been building for months. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources indicate that deals for the creative team are still being finalized, though co-creator Ryan Murphy's involvement is widely considered a safe bet.

Meanwhile, both TheWrap and People note that Murphy had already completed a pilot script in late September alongside original co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan.

Murphy first publicly floated the concept in July at the premiere of his FX drama The Shards, noting that a younger generation of viewers had discovered the show on streaming. In August, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he was actively considering a revival, citing how much the series and its music meant to audiences now in their 20s. By late September, at the Season 13 premiere of American Horror Story, Murphy confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that the original writing trio had finished a draft.

"We have a script. Brad [Falchuk], Ian [Brennan] and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, have written something," Murphy stated in late September. Despite the completed script, TheWrap points out that it remains unknown how the trio will divide showrunning duties once deals close, or if they might bring in an outside showrunner, a model Murphy recently used with Connor Hines on Love Story.

Which Original Cast Members Could Return?

The biggest question surrounding the greenlit project is which familiar faces will walk the halls of McKinley High again. The original ensemble featured Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, Dianna Agron, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris, Mark Salling, Darren Criss, Harry Shum Jr., Jayma Mays, Dot-Marie Jones, Jonathan Groff, and Chord Overstreet. Later seasons expanded the roster with performers such as Melissa Benoist, Alex Newell, Becca Tobin, Jacob Artist, Blake Jenner, Josie Totah, and Finneas O'Connell.

Industry outlets offer differing perspectives on how quickly alumni will sign on. According to Variety, it can safely be assumed that several of the original stars will return, even though formal casting remains unannounced. Conversely, TVLine and People emphasize that no cast members have been officially confirmed, and early outreach does not equate to signed contracts.

In his late September interview with Entertainment Tonight, Murphy shared that he had spoken with roughly a dozen veterans of the Fox series. "I've been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members," Murphy said. "It's very sweet, and they all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea."

Several key actors have recently weighed in on the prospect of revisiting their characters:

  • Lea Michele (Rachel Berry): Weeks prior to Murphy's script update, Michele told E! News she would gladly participate. "I love Glee. I will always love Glee. I love Ryan Murphy. It just holds such a special place in my heart for me… I will follow Ryan wherever he goes," she said.
  • Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel): Speaking with Bustle, Colfer expressed a more guarded stance, citing the emotional weight of returning following the deaths of several co-stars. "It was a really tough show to do, and it would be really hard to do it now that Naya [Rivera] is gone," Colfer explained. "But I do know that Glee fans would probably come after me with pitchforks and jazz hands if I said no. So I don't know, but hopefully I'll have more information and I can actually think about it."

Any reunion will inevitably carry the weight of real-life tragedies that affected the original cast. Cory Monteith, who played male lead Finn Hudson, died from an overdose in July 2013 at age 31 while the show was still in production; his character was memorialized in the Season 5 episode "The Quarterback." Mark Salling died by suicide in 2018 after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. In 2020, Naya Rivera, who portrayed fan-favorite Santana Lopez, died at age 33 in a drowning accident while saving her young son.

Cultural Legacy and Streaming Strategy

During its initial 2009–2015 broadcast run, Glee was both a ratings powerhouse and a commercial music machine. The series tackled topics including sexuality, race, disability, and mental health while releasing weekly covers of pop and Broadway standards like "Don't Stop Believin'," "Teenage Dream," "River Deep, Mountain High," and "Smooth Criminal." Tracks from the show regularly topped the iTunes charts the day after episodes aired, and the cast headlined multiple live concert tours that were filmed for theatrical release.

The series also garnered significant critical hardware during its six-season run. It earned 32 Emmy nominations and won six, including a directing trophy for Murphy for the 2009 pilot episode and a 2010 supporting actress in a comedy series win for Jane Lynch's portrayal of cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester. Additionally, the show secured nine Golden Globe nominations with four wins, 30 Teen Choice Award nominations with 14 wins, and two GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.

More than 10 years after its finale, the franchise's commercial footprint remains substantial. The original library streams on Hulu, and its music catalog continues to draw between 4 million and 4.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Moving the property directly to Disney+ and Hulu gives 20th Television an established built-in audience while allowing the writers more creative latitude than network broadcast standards previously permitted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the new Glee series be a direct continuation or a complete reboot?

Industry coverage currently uses the terms "revival," "reboot," and "new series" interchangeably. Because Disney+ and Hulu have not released an official logline, it is not yet confirmed whether the plot will focus primarily on the adult lives of the original characters, introduce a new generation of McKinley High students, or blend both approaches.

Are Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan officially running the show?

While Murphy confirmed in late September that he, Falchuk, and Brennan wrote a new pilot script together, Disney's formal series order announcement did not name any attached producers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, formal contracts for the creative team are still being finalized, and it remains unclear who will handle day-to-day showrunning duties.

When will the Glee revival premiere on Disney+ and Hulu?

No premiere window or production start date has been announced. With creative team deals still closing and casting negotiations yet to be finalized, viewers will have to wait for further updates from 20th Television regarding a filming timeline.

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