Thanks to Netflix I am able to revisit “old” series that made quite a buzz in their times, like Glee, which to my mind introduced us to the millennial kind of TV shows (at least in Hollywood).
The series first came to the screens (in the US) on May 19, 2009 and lasted through season 6 until its last episode on May 20, 2015. (So, if you think, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano needs to be retired, think again. American series could last up to 10 or more seasons, though we don’t watch them five times a week.)
Back to Glee, the series is set in a fictional high school (William McKinley High School) in Lima, Ohio. It shows how a fledgling glee club rise tobecome national champion and produces alumni that shine in the performing arts, on Broadway, recording and even coaching high-school glee clubs.
The show also is LGBTQ+ friendly with several of its characters playing gay couple, the Fil-Am actor Darren Criss (Blaine) and Chris Colfer (Kurt), and lesbian couple Naya Rivera(Santana) and Heather Morris (Brittany Pierce). It also speaks about the liberal attitude towards sex among high school students resulting to unwanted pregnancy, as in the case of Quinn (Diana Agron) and Puck (Mark Salling.) And towards the end of the last season, it features bashing and bullying trannnies, like football coach Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) and the student Unique Adams (Alex Newell).
The series lost two of its actors. First, Cory Monteith, a Canadian actor who played Finn, died on July 13, 2013 caused by “mixed drug toxicity” according to Vancouver Police Department. Second, Mark Salling was found dead from apparent suicide on Jan. 30, 2018, three years after Glee’s last episode, near his home in LA, six hours after he was reported missing. He was convicted of possession of child pornography, but he died before the sentencing date set of March 2018.
So, why am I writing about an old show? As I was binge-watching it till the last season, I was thinking if I were a network executive in this country, why couldn’t I produce a show similar to Glee? After all, the local mass media claim that, in the world, Filipinos are among if not the best singers. Oh, I remember, Charice Pempengco, before she became a “he” now as Jake Zyrus, made a guest appearance in one of the early episodes of the series. And she did make quite an impression.
Also, networks sign up a number of talents for their singing potentials. The Glee format (or even the Zac Efron-Vanessa Hudgen starrer High School Musical should be a good platform to explore the abilities of those that the network signed up.
Again, rethinking the logistics of mounting similar shows, the local networks may not have the right people to shape a show that can be at par with Glee in terms of musical arrangements, vocal renditions, musical numbers staging, visual imagination, set decoration, costumes and make up, and so on.
Well, sorry folks, your local networks just want you to enjoy the series that they produce. And those who have had it, after so many years, discover a whole new world on the worldwide web.
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Amazon Prime Video receives 47 Emmy Award Nominations
Amazon Prime Video received 47 Emmy Award nominations, more than doubling its previous record of 23 and scored fourth among the most-nominated networks or streamers overall.
Last year’s Emmy Award-winning comedy, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, received 20 total Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy for Rachel Brosnahan, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comdey for Tony Shalhoub, two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for Marin Hinkle and Alex Borstein,and two nominations for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series.
The critically-acclaimed comedy Fleabag received 11 nominations overall, including Outstanding Comedy, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy for star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, two nominations in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy category for Olivia Colman and Sian Clifford, and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series.
“It is an exciting morning for Amazon Prime Video with 47 nominations, our most Emmy nominations ever. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag are just two fantastic examples of our slate of bold, character-driven, original programming made by the most creative talent in the industry. Today’s recognition by the Television Academy is a testament to the incredible work these teams of actors, creatives and crew are doing on all our shows every day,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios.
Other notable nominations include two nominations for A Very English Scandal, including Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series for Hugh Grant and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for Ben Whishaw; one nomination for King Lear for Outstanding TV Movie; and two Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nominations for Luke Kirby and Rufus Sewell and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Jane Lynch for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The Amazon Prime app is available on all smart TV.
Catch up on all the Emmy nominated Amazon Original series such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fleabag with Globe At Home and Globe Postpaid. Redeem your six-month Amazon Prime Video access on us! #GlobeAmazon glbe.co/AmazonPrimeVideo