A new series will soon return to the halls of William McKinley High School — though things will look a bit different this time around. A forthcoming docuseries from Discovery+ and Ample Entertainment will explore the various tragedies and controversies that have plagued Ryan Murphy’s smash hit “Glee,” both while it aired from 2009 to 2015 and in the years since.
Through the years, the “Glee” cast have encountered misfortune after misfortune. In 2013, while the show was still airing, Cory Monteith — who played lovable jock Finn Hudson, and who was also Lea Michele‘s on- and off-screen boyfriend — died of an accidental heroin overdose. Then Mark Salling, who played Noah “Puck” Puckerman, was arrested in 2015 for possessing images of child pornography and died from an apparent suicide three years later.
In 2020, Naya Rivera, who portrayed Santana Lopez, died in a boating accident, leaving behind a 4-year-old son. That same year, Lea Michele, who led the show as Rachel Berry and is currently starring in “Funny Girl” on Broadway, was accused of bullying on the “Glee” set by costars Samantha Marie Ware, Heather Morris, and more.
Not all of the “Glee” cast members have met tragic or controversial fates. Darren Criss, who played Blaine, won an Emmy in 2018 for his work in “The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”; Kevin McHale, who played Artie, was a finalist on the second season of “RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race”; and Chord Overstreet, who played Sam, will star alongside Lindsay Lohan in Netflix’s holiday feature “Falling for Christmas.” Meanwhile, Chris Colfer, who played Kurt, is now a successful children’s book author — but apparently he still struggles to even be around certain members of the “Glee” cast. In an Oct. 11 interview, Colfer said he wouldn’t be seeing Michele in “Funny Girl” because, in his words, “I can be triggered at home.”
Per Deadline, the forthcoming “Glee” docuseries will come in three parts, featuring interviews with cast and crew members as well as their family and friends. A rep from Discovery+ did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment.
The feature, which does not yet have a title or release date, is the latest offering from Discovery+ and true-crime company ID, which is also behind the recently released Armie Hammer exposé, “The House of Hammer.”