"Glee's" catchy tunes and lively cast make fans "gleek out" over each episode, but it may be the controversial spin the show brings each week that has them coming back for more.
"I think that 'Glee's' controversial topics are a good thing," said Betsy Greer, junior in radio, television and film. "It's a mainstream show, and by putting really controversial topics out there, it makes people more aware of them."
Susan Brinson, alumni professor and editor of Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, said she believes the program addresses controversial topics to attract viewers.
"The more viewers the program draws, the more FOX can charge for advertising during the program," Brinson said. "Advertisers are willing to pay more because FOX delivers their target consumers."
Shocking episodes filled with drama may lure in an audience, but the question is where the program draws the line between juicy and inappropriate.
In a recent episode, Gwyneth Paltrow made a guest appearance as a sex education teacher and sang a 1973 hit, "Do You Want to Touch Me," by Gary Glitter, a convicted sex offender. After the episode aired, Glitter's song made it on iTunes' top 30 songs, giving him royalties for the song's success.
"The inclusion of the song in the scene sounds like the slightly edgy use of poppy musical numbers that 'Glee' specializes in: a glam-rock song about sexual exploration sung to a group of high school students," said Deron Overpeck, RTVF assistant professor. "So it makes sense that the producers would choose it."
Overpeck also said songs such as "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis, who married his 13-year-old cousin, shows how works of art produced by people whose personal lives were offensive are regularly used.
"What makes this different is that Glitter still stands to benefit from the use of his songs, when the awareness of his convictions for sexual assaults on minors is still fresh," Overpeck said. "So while the song certainly makes sense for the scene and series in general, the fact that it was written by someone convicted of molesting girls in this age range undercuts a lot, if not all, of the pleasure of the scene."
Glitter's song is just an example of the many questionable topics in the show.
The spotlight has continued to be on the homosexual relationships; however, some question if the topic is even considered controversial anymore.
Greer said when the two male characters Kurt and Blaine kissed, most of her friends said they weren't shocked at all and were expecting it to happen.
"I think homosexuality is much more acceptable in this generation, and television programs are just now catching up with that," Greer said.
Brinson said some people in the television industry argue that some programs are 10 to 15 years behind the times.
"Perhaps the program depicted a kiss between two gay men because the writers and producers believed that it was already accepted in society," Brinson said.
So are the producers of "Glee" reeling in their audience with controversial gossip, or just providing sheer entertainment for their viewers?
"They've established a loyal audience\0xAD; I don't think they needed controversy to generate ratings and buzz that such issues or scenes often provide," said George Plasketes, RTVF program director. "But that, too, may be part of the point. We are established and successful--let's see how far we can push and maybe explore some new directions."
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