Somewhere, a slushie just hit the floor. Glee fans barely had time to finish humming “Don’t Stop Believin'” before Ryan Murphy casually hinted that McKinley High might not be done with us yet. Nearly two decades after Glee became a pop culture phenomenon and a landmark for LGBTQ+ representation, Murphy says he’s been thinking about bringing the show back in some form.
Naturally, the fandom wasted no time choosing sides. One camp is already stretching for Regionals. The other is begging Hollywood to leave one of queer TV’s biggest comfort shows exactly where it belongs.
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Ryan Murphy says maybe it’s time to revisit Glee
Murphy was promoting his new series, The Shards, when a reporter asked him about his memories of creating Glee. The question wasn’t about a reboot, reunion, or remake—but Murphy went there anyway.
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“Well, I loved them all. I had a great time making that show. That show is interesting because it’s come back around. So many young people now watch it. And I’m like, ‘Maybe we should revisit that show.'”
Well… that’s certainly one way to wake up an entire fandom.
The openly gay television powerhouse behind Popular, Nip/Tuck, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, 9-1-1, Pose, Monster, and now The Shards clearly still has a soft spot for the series that turned high school choir into must-see television.
Murphy continued:
“My nostalgia and love for that show is enough that I’m like, ‘Well, maybe people would like to see a new incarnation of that in some capacity.’ So yeah, I love that show and I loved what it became and what it meant to so many people.”
Notice what he didn’t say. He didn’t announce a reboot. He didn’t confirm one is in development. But he definitely left the choir room door cracked open.
Why Glee still has queer fans in a chokehold
When Glee premiered in 2009, it felt like lightning in a letterman jacket. Long before LGBTQ+ characters became common across streaming platforms, Glee introduced millions of viewers to Kurt Hummel, Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce, Blaine Anderson, and Coach Beiste. The series wasn’t perfect—it could be chaotic, ridiculous, and occasionally make choices that deserved detention—but it also helped push queer stories further into the mainstream.
For many LGBTQ+ fans, Glee became more than a musical comedy. It was comfort TV, a coming-out companion, and one of the first mainstream shows where queer teens were allowed to be messy, funny, romantic, and fully themselves.
The series ran for six seasons on Fox from 2009 to 2015, winning six Emmy Awards and earning 40 Emmy nominations along the way.
Could a reboot actually work in 2026?
That’s where things get interesting. Television has changed dramatically since Glee first burst onto our screens. Queer representation is far more common, audiences have less patience for outdated stereotypes, and social media now turns every casting announcement into a full-blown discourse event before filming even starts.
A successful reboot couldn’t simply swap in a new cast and hand them today’s Spotify Top 50. It would need fresh characters, sharper writing, and storylines that reflect what high school—and queer life—actually look like in 2026.
Then there’s the emotional history attached to the franchise. The deaths of cast members Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Mark Salling forever changed how many fans think about Glee. Any return would carry that legacy with it, making nostalgia both its biggest selling point and its biggest challenge.
Should we stop believin’?
Whether Glee returns or not, Ryan Murphy managed to do something only Glee can still pull off in 2026: get the internet arguing about show choir.
@gleecastofficial The Glee Club sings in search of new talents. #glee #gleek #newyork #empirestateofmind #gleefyp #santana #mercedes #gleeks #gleecast #gleeedit #onthisday #fy #song #fyp #gleemusic #gleeedits #aliciakeys #jayz #leamichele #rachelberry #corymonteith #finnhudson #foryou #gleecontent #gleedigital
If a reboot ever happens, it can’t survive on nostalgia and Journey covers alone. It has to earn its standing ovation with a new generation of lovable misfits, fresh queer stories, and enough chaotic energy to make Sue Sylvester file another complaint.
Until then, consider this your reminder that one little “maybe” was all it took to get everyone singing again.
Source: People