Listen, I loved Glee. I watched it, I loved characters from it, and there are songs from that show that will probably live in my head until I die. But when I saw Entertainment Tonight’s exclusive that Ryan Murphy has written a script for a Glee reboot, my first reaction was not excitement. It was pretty much: Do we really need to do this? Entertainment Tonight’s exclusive Glee reboot report⁠

Murphy told ET that he has already talked to around ten members of the original cast and says they were very enthusiastic about the idea. They apparently had a lot of questions too, which honestly makes me feel better because I HAVE QUESTIONS. Starting with: who are the ten? Because “around ten original cast members are enthusiastic” sounds exciting until you actually stop and think about what that means. Enthusiastic about hearing the idea? Enthusiastic about doing a cameo? Enthusiastic about signing up for another entire series? Those are very different things.

What exactly are we rebooting?

These people are not kids anymore. Glee premiered in 2009. The cast has grown up, moved on, built careers and done a million other things since then. So what exactly is this show supposed to be now?

Are we going back to McKinley with a completely new group of teenagers while some of the original cast pops in every once in a while? Is Rachel teaching? Is Kurt running something? Does somebody take over New Directions? Are the OG cast members basically there whenever the show needs a nostalgia hit?

Because if that’s what we’re doing, then are we actually bringing Glee back, or are we making a new high-school musical show and putting Glee on the title?

I’m not saying that automatically makes it bad. I’m saying I need somebody to explain to me what the hell this reboot actually is before I get excited about it.

And then there’s the giant elephant sitting in the choir room

We also cannot pretend Glee ended and everybody walked away with nothing but wonderful memories.

Samantha Ware publicly accused Lea Michele of making her first television job a “living hell” and later went into much more detail about what she says happened while they were working together. Ware alleged silent treatment, comments under Michele’s breath and other behavior she believed was intended to humiliate her. Read ET’s coverage of Samantha Ware’s allegations⁠ 

Heather Morris later spoke about Michele as well and said she had been “unpleasant to work with.” Morris also said the situation became the “elephant in the room” and that members of the cast could have gone to Fox executives but didn’t. Read ET’s interview with Heather Morris⁠ 

Michele did respond and apologize for behavior that hurt other people, while saying she did not remember making one of the specific statements Ware accused her of making. Read ET’s coverage of Michele’s response⁠ 

And Ware and Morris were not the only names attached to complaints about Michele’s behavior. ET’s own retrospective on the controversies surrounding Glee also discussed comments from other people connected to the show. ET’s retrospective on the Glee cast controversies⁠ 

That isn’t me digging through old gossip because I want some drama. That is part of the history of this show.

And sure, people grow up. People change. Relationships change. Maybe some people have forgiven each other. Maybe people who hated working together fifteen years ago could sit down today and have absolutely no problem whatsoever. I have no idea.

But when somebody announces, “Hey! Let’s bring Glee back!” I don’t think it’s unreasonable to remember that there was a whole lot happening when those cameras weren’t rolling too.

Some pieces of the original Glee simply aren’t here anymore

Then there is the part that makes this one different from a lot of other nostalgic reboots.

Cory Monteith is gone. Naya Rivera is gone.

Finn and Santana weren’t random characters in the background. They were massive pieces of Glee, and both actors left a huge mark on the show.

Maybe Murphy isn’t trying to recreate the original chemistry at all. Maybe this script is something completely different and I’m sitting here arguing with a premise nobody has actually told us yet.

That is entirely possible.

But that is also kind of my point.

Tell me what “Glee is back” actually means

Before everybody starts celebrating because Glee could be coming back, somebody needs to explain what that actually means.

Another story involving the original characters? I’m listening. A limited reunion that catches us up with everybody? Okay, tell me more.

An almost entirely new group of teenagers with an original cast member wandering into McKinley every few episodes so we remember which show we’re supposed to be watching?

Yeahhhhhhh.

You’re going to have to work considerably harder to sell me on that one.

I don’t hate this because it’s a reboot. I don’t even hate the idea yet.

I just don’t know why this particular door needs to be reopened.

And considering everything that happened both on and off that set the first time around, Ryan Murphy is going to have to give me a much better answer than don’t stop believin’.