Characters of Glee
Encyclopedia
Glee
is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox
in the United States. It focuses on the high school glee club
New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues. The initial main cast encompassed club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
), cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
(Jayma Mays
), Will's wife Terri
(Jessalyn Gilsig
), and eight club members played by Dianna Agron
, Chris Colfer
, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele
, Cory Monteith
, Amber Riley
, Mark Salling and Jenna Ushkowitz. For the second season, formerly recurring cast members Mike O'Malley
, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera
were promoted to the main cast. In the third season the main cast remained at fifteen, with Harry Shum Jr. and Darren Criss
promoted to it, while Gilsig and O'Malley no longer received star billing.
The series has many supporting characters, including faculty members, students and relatives of the glee club members. Broadway
stars including Idina Menzel
, John Lloyd Young
, Jonathan Groff
, and Kristin Chenoweth
have been featured in guest roles. A number of the principal actors were cast directly from Broadway, while those without theatrical backgrounds were required to demonstrate singing and dancing as well as acting ability.
and The Light in the Piazza, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry
), who starred in Spring Awakening
, and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang
), from the Broadway revival of The King and I
. The role of Rachel was written specifically for Michele.
Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel
) had originally auditioned to play Artie Abrams
. Although Colfer had no previous professional experience, Murphy was so impressed by Colfer's performance that the role of Kurt Hummel, named after the character Kurt from The Sound of Music
, was created for him.
Auditioning actors with no theatrical experience were required to demonstrate their ability to sing and dance. Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury) auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me
" from The Rocky Horror Show
, while Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson
) initially submitted a tape of himself acting only, and was requested to submit a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon
's "Can't Fight This Feeling
". Cory Monteith has deemed his casting "spot on" as his lack of formal training is reflected in the abilities of his character, Finn Hudson.
Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams
) came from a boy-band background, having previously been part of the group Not Like Them. He auditioned with the song "Let It Be" and tested alongside Colfer and Ushkowitz. McHale explained that the diversity of the cast's backgrounds reflects the range of different musical styles within the show itself: "It's a mix of everything: classic rock, current stuff, R&B. Even the musical theater stuff is switched up. You won't always recognize it." Jane Lynch was originally intended to have a recurring role in the show, but became a series regular when a Damon Wayans
pilot she was working on for ABC fell through.
) is a guitarist and paraplegic manual wheelchair
user. McHale describes Artie as a "nerd" who loves the glee club wholeheartedly and uses it as a form of escapism. Artie uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury he received in a car crash at the age of eight. During the first season, he begins to accept his disability and the fact he will never achieve his dream of becoming a dancer. He has a relationship with fellow New Directions member Tina Cohen-Chang
, who breaks up with him at the beginning of the second season. Artie then loses his virginity to cheerleader Brittany Pierce
, and with encouragement from his former bully, Puck
, they begin dating.
McHale joined Glee from a dance background, and found it challenging to adapt to using a wheelchair, but was able to utilize his dancing ability in the episode "Dream On
", in which Artie dances in a shopping mall during a fantasy flash mob
sequence. The episode "Wheels
", which places focus on Artie and his disability, drew criticism from a committee of performers with disabilities, who felt that casting an able-bodied actor to play a disabled student was inappropriate. Glee executive producer Brad Falchuk
responded that while he understood the concern and frustration of disability advocates, McHale had the singing and acting ability, talent and charisma required for the role.
) is a gay student at Dalton Academy and a member of the Warblers, a season two Sectionals and Regionals rival of New Directions. While Blaine was initially a recurring character, Criss was promoted to the main cast for the third season. The character is a love interest for Kurt
, though in the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
", he and Rachel have a brief fling, resulting in Blaine reasserting his identity as gay. Murphy stated, "Darren has a major, major arc... He sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love—he had to leave his own school because of bullying and goes to an all-boys academy and finds acceptance because that school has a no-bullying, zero-tolerance policy." Blaine is a huge role model for Kurt, who develops a crush on him. During "Original Song
", Blaine realizes he reciprocates Kurt's feeling, and they kiss. After Kurt transfers back to McKinley, they attend Kurt's junior prom as a couple. At the beginning of season three, Blaine decides to transfer to McKinley to be with Kurt, and joins New Directions.
) is a "strong, driven" member of the glee club, who is misunderstood by her peers. Michele took the role in Glee because of Rachel's characterization, explaining: "Not only is she a singer, but she has so much heart—I think it's what we need on TV." Michele described the first thirteen episodes of the series as: "Rachel's journey of finding herself within the glee club", explaining that: "She's learning how to be a team player and work within this group."
Rachel has an on-off relationship with Finn
throughout the series. She briefly goes out with his best friend Puck, and later dates Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff
), the lead singer of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, who ultimately betrays her in favor of his club. Rachel discovers that Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
) is her birth mother—Rachel has two gay dads—but the two fail to forge a relationship. At the end of season one
, Finn professes his love for her. They date over the summer and for several episodes in season two
, but break up when Rachel makes out with Puck in revenge for Finn having lied about losing his virginity to Santana
in season one. At the end of season two, they begin a renewed relationship after Nationals in New York, though Rachel warns Finn she'll be returning to New York for good after she graduates. In the third season
, Rachel is cast as Maria in the school's production of West Side Story
, she runs for senior class president, and she and Finn have sex for the first time.
) is a football player and dancer who joins New Directions in the episode "Preggers." Shum stated that Mike is shy, and that he joins the glee club despite it being "social suicide" as "he has finally found a place where he can express himself and feel accepted." Initially a supporting character with no storylines of his own, Mike was slowly developed by the series writers. In the final episode of season one, Mike says that before New Directions, "I was afraid to dance outside my room." In season two he begins dating Tina, and gives his first lead musical performance duetting with her on "Sing!" from A Chorus Line
, and is selected to perform a dance routine with Brittany for Sectionals in "Special Education
." He performs the show's first solo dance routine in "A Night of Neglect
". Mike states that he is a senior in the season three premiere, "The Purple Piano Project
", and Shum as Mike was promoted to the main cast for the show's third season.
. She typically dresses in school-girl like clothing, like the Japanese Gothic Lolita fashion. She goes on a date with Artie, and confesses to him that she has been faking a speech impediment since the sixth grade, explaining that she wanted to drive people away, but now that she's a part of the glee club, she no longer wants that. Their relationship continues through the end of that first year. Tina and Mike Chang are counselors at Asian Camp over the summer, and they fall for each other; Tina formally breaks off with Artie at the beginning of the second season, and she and Mike are still in love at the when the school year ends, the only relationship in the glee club to survive the entire school year, and the longest unbroken relationship between the members since the club was formed. It is revealed that she had sex with Mike over the summer, losing her virginity.
) is introduced as Finn's girlfriend, head of the cheerleading
squad and president of the celibacy
club. She is described by Agron as Rachel's enemy, and "terrible, the meanest girl." Quinn joins the glee club because Finn is a member, and because cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester wants her to bring the club down from the inside. She oscillates between desiring acceptance, which she finds in New Directions, and desiring popularity, which she finds on the Cheerios. She reveals to Finn that she is pregnant and tells him that the baby is his, although the real father is Finn's best friend Puck. Eventually the deception is revealed, and Quinn decides to give the baby away. In the season finale, Quinn gives birth to her daughter, whom Puck names Beth. The baby is adopted by Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
), Rachel’s birth mother.
At the beginning of the second season, Quinn rejoins the Cheerios and again becomes the captain, regaining her popularity, though later in the season she quits to remain faithful to New Directions. She begins a relationship with Sam Evans
(Chord Overstreet
) in "Duets
" but is later unfaithful to him, rekindling her romance with Finn. In the episode "Comeback
", Sam makes a last-ditch attempt to win her back, but ends the relationship after finding out from Santana that Quinn cheated on him with Finn. Quinn and Finn get back together, though eventually Finn realizes his true feelings for Rachel, and breaks up with Quinn.
During the summer between seasons two and three, Quinn undergoes a transformation: she dyes her hair, gets a tattoo and a nose ring, and takes to smoking behind the bleachers with her new clique the Skanks. However, in "I Am Unicorn
", when Shelby Corcoran joins the McKinley High faculty and talks to Quinn about being involved in Beth's life, Quinn pretends to clean up her act and returns to New Directions, but she intends not to merely be in Beth's life, but to get full custody of her daughter. She also tries to get the government to think that Shelby is an unfit mother by placing knives and hot sauce near Beth.
) is star quarterback of the school's football team who risks alienation by his friends to join the glee club. He is dating cheerleader Quinn, but is conflicted by his growing feelings for Rachel. Quinn later tells Finn she is pregnant and he is the father. Finn intends to support her, unaware the father is actually his best friend Puck. He has a premature ejaculation
problem, which causes him to believe he is the father of Quinn's baby despite the fact that they have never had sex. When he discovers the truth, he breaks up with Quinn and turns to pursuing Rachel. In the season one finale, he professes his love for her before New Directions performs at Regionals, and the second season finds Finn and Rachel a couple. A flurry of infidelities forces the two apart, though Finn succeeds in winning Rachel back in the season two finale, though Rachel warns him that upon graduation she will be leaving Ohio for good.
) is Kurt's father (and Finn's stepfather after his marriage to Carole Hudson) to whom Kurt comes out in the episode "Preggers
". Both James Poniewozik for Time
and Tim Stack for Entertainment Weekly
praised O'Malley's performance in the storyline, with Poniewozik additionally commenting: "the fact that Dad [...] ends up not being the boor we think he's going to be is one of the first signs that Glee is growing up as a series, that having established a world of primary-color stereotypes, it's now willing to subvert those expectations." Initially a recurring cast member, O'Malley was promoted to a series regular from season two.
During the first season, Kurt acts as a matchmaker
for Burt and Carole Hudson (Romy Rosemont
), Finn's widowed mother. He feels left out when Burt and Finn bond, but Burt reassures him that he will always come first. Burt and Carole briefly live together, until he throws Finn out for using a homophobic slur against Kurt. In season two, Burt has a heart attack but recovers. He and Carole marry, using their vows to express pride in their sons. In the third season, Burt wages a write-in campaign for congress against leading candidate Sue Sylvester.
) is a singer who is bullied by the football team. He has a high vocal range, and is identified by Fox as a soprano
singer. His voice could actually be described as a countertenor
. Colfer originally auditioned for the role of Artie, however Murphy was so impressed by his performance that the role of Kurt was created for him, replacing a character named Rajish who was initially intended to be a member of the glee club. The character's name is derived from The Sound of Music
Kurt von Trapp, whom Colfer once played in a production of the musical, and the German Hummel figurines due to his complexion. Colfer describes Kurt as "a tough guy in designer clothes", explaining that he "puts on a very confident, 'I'm better than you' persona, but underneath it all he's the same anxious and scared teen everyone is/was at some point." Over the course of the first season, Kurt comes out as gay and develops a crush on Finn. He also joins the football team as a kicker, with Finn's help, and the cheerleading squad as a singer, though he ultimately quits both. In the episode "Wheels", he competes with Rachel to perform "Defying Gravity
" from Wicked
. Murphy selected the song after Colfer relayed a story from his own high school days, whereby his drama teacher refused to let him sing it because of his gender.
After Dave Karofsky bullies him into a depression, Kurt becomes close friends with an openly gay student at Dalton Academy, named Blaine Anderson
. He then transfers to Dalton Academy and joins their show choir
named the Warblers. He soon develops romantic feelings for Blaine, with Blaine eventually realizing he returns these feelings. The two begin a relationship. Kurt eventually returns to McKinley.
) is a "diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up," with a "flair for fashion". Early in season one, Mercedes develops a crush on Kurt, unaware that he is gay. She is hurt when he rejects her, but supportive when he confides his sexuality. After this, the two become especially close friends. Dismayed at never receiving solo songs, Mercedes and Kurt join the cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, as vocalists. She briefly dates Puck, but ultimately breaks up with him and quits the Cheerios, afraid of turning into someone she does not want to be. She becomes friends with Quinn when the pregnant ex-cheerleader gives her advice during her stint on the Cheerios, and when Quinn is unhappy having to stay at Puck's house, invites Quinn to move in with her family. When Quinn gives birth, she asks that Mercedes be present for the delivery of her child. In season two, she writes and performs an amazing, original song entitled "Hell to the No." After the prom, which she attends in a group with Rachel and Sam and Jesse, Mercedes and Sam begin dating in secret, but he moves away during the summer, and Mercedes has a new boyfriend by the beginning of the third season
. In the third episode, Mercedes quits the glee club and joins the new, rival McKinley show choir, the Troubletones, run by Shelby Corcoran, later recruiting Santana and Brittany to join here there.
) is a cheerleader who joins the glee club in the episode "Showmance
". Initially a spy for cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, she comes to enjoy her club participation. Her romantic relationships with fellow members Puck and Sam are followed by the realization that she is in love with her best friend Brittany. Afraid of coming out
as a lesbian, Santana uses football jock Dave Karofsky—who is also closeted—as a beard to bolster her heterosexual façade and to boost her chances of becoming prom queen, though she fails at the latter.
Having originated as a minor antagonist, Santana's role became more prominent in the second half of the first season
, and she became a main character in season two
. Rivera characterizes Santana as "a bit of a bad girl", prone to sarcastic remarks. Though she stated in May 2009 that Santana "loves boys", she later deemed Brittany her character's soul mate. In March 2011, Falchuk confirmed, "Santana is a lesbian. She might not be ready to come out yet, but she is."
During the season three premiere, Santana is named co-captain of the Cheerios; both she and the other co-captain, Becky Jackson, are dismayed at having to share the post. As a show of loyalty to Sue, she participates in setting one of the glee club's pianos on fire and is dismissed from New Directions by Mr. Schuester. She returns briefly to the club, and then abandons it for the new, rival McKinley show choir, the Troubletones, run by Shelby Corcoran.
". Prior to appearing in Glee, Morris was a back-up dancer for Beyoncé Knowles
. She was originally hired as a choreographer to teach cast members Colfer and Ushkowitz the "Single Ladies
" dance. A week later, she was cast as Brittany. Morris had a recurring role throughout the first season, and was promoted to a series regular for season two. Many of Brittany's lines are unscripted, and are instead devised by Murphy during filming, or improvised by Morris. Morris portrays Brittany as being "literally insane". She is used by the series' writers to say things no other character would, to the point that Morris considers some of her lines nonsensical. Brittany's character traits include finding recipes confusing, cheating off intellectually disabled classmates and not knowing her right hand from her left. She makes her singing debut in the season two episode "Britney/Brittany
", performing three songs—"I'm a Slave 4 U", "Me Against the Music" and "Toxic"—all by Britney Spears. Brittany has a physical relationship with Santana, in which Santana gives Brittany a hickey in the season 2 episode "Duets
"; in that episode Brittany also has a brief romance with Artie that leads to a more serious relationship later in the season. She quits the cheerleading squad in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
". In the episode "New York
", Brittany tells Santana that she loves her far more than she's ever loved anyone else. Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, deeming her "one of the funniest second bananas on TV."
) is the school's guidance counselor who has OCD, with obsessions and compulsions primarily focused on contamination and cleanliness. She has romantic feelings for Will. Mays has deemed Emma an "amazing" character to play, explaining: "I don't find that female characters are always written with a lot of depth, but she's so well defined on the page. Sure, she's terrified of germs and in love with a married man, so seeing her as the voice of reason for the kids is amazing." Glee' s costume designer Lou Eyrich selects "quirky" outfits for Emma, to reflect her "sunny disposition". In an attempt to get over Will, Emma begins dating football coach Ken Tanaka, becoming engaged to him in the episode "Vitamin D
". However, when Will is unable to attend a competition with the glee club, Emma volunteers to take them in his place, postponing her own wedding by several hours. Acknowledging her continuing feelings for Will, Ken breaks up with her on their wedding day. Emma submits her resignation as guidance counselor, but as she is leaving the school, Will finds her and stops her with a kiss. She reveals to Will that she is a virgin, but does not go through with her plan to lose her virginity to him. At the end of the first season, she tells Will she has started dating a dentist named Carl Howell, and in the second season her relationship with Carl (John Stamos
) blossoms to the point that they get married in Las Vegas
in the episode "Special Education
". It is subsequently revealed in the episode "Sexy
" that her marriage with Carl is facing difficulties and has not been consummated. She admits that she still has feelings for Will, and she and Carl separate; he later requests an annulment of their marriage. She begins to get treatment for her OCD in "Born This Way
".
group, the Acafellas, hoping to impress the mothers at the school's PTA meeting, as he prefers older women. He later discovers that he is the father of Quinn's baby. She rejects him when he offers to support her and the baby, calling him a "Lima
loser." Later in the same episode, Puck joins the glee club. He briefly dates Rachel and Mercedes, but ruins his chances with Quinn by sexting
Santana in her presence. Regardless, Puck attends the birth of his daughter, who he names Beth, and tells Quinn that he loves her. In season two, Puck is sent to juvenile detention for stealing an ATM. The producers engineered his absence from the series to allow a romance to develop between Quinn and new student Sam Evans. Following his return, Puck helps Artie hook up with Brittany, recruits Lauren Zizes
for glee club, and falls in love with her, but is dumped by her at the beginning of season three.
) was Will's wife of 5 years, but they were together 15 years total. Terri briefly believes herself to be pregnant, and pushes Will to take a better paying job as an accountant. She discovers she has actually experienced a hysterical pregnancy, but hides this from Will, afraid he will leave her. After confiding her deception in her sister Kendra, Terri approaches pregnant cheerleader Quinn Fabray, with an interest in her baby. She briefly becomes the school nurse, but is asked to step down after giving the glee club pseudoephedrine tablets
. In the episode "Mattress
," Will uncovers Terri's ruse when he discovers her pregnancy pad in a drawer. Terri begins attending therapy, but Will tells her he no longer loves her and leaves her as he falls in love with guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury. Their divorce is finalized late in the first season. Terri manages to seduce a sick and lonely Will in the second-season episode "The Substitute
", but is re-buffed by her ex-husband as he expresses his need to move on. Near the end of the second season, Terri is recruited by Sue Sylvester
to join Sue's League of Doom to destroy the New Directions glee club directed by Will, but Terri undoes the damage and tells Will that she's been promoted to manager at work, and is being transferred to a new store in Miami. It is unknown whether she will return in season three.
Gilsig has deemed Terri "a woman of conviction", willing to do "whatever it takes" to keep Will from leaving her. She explained that Will and Terri's communication is weak and that Terri is "missing a lot of the skills for the marriage," commenting that Terri feels threatened by Will's commitment to the glee club, worried that it will pull him away from her. Gilsig characterized Terri as emotionally still being in high school, and as of December 2009 did not know how long her character would feature in the series, as she was initially only created as an obstacle to come between Emma and Will.
) is McKinley High's Spanish teacher who becomes director of the glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Morrison has assessed that the crux of Glee is "about [Will's] passion for music and influencing his kids". Will is married to his high school sweetheart Terri
. Believing her to be pregnant, unaware that she is actually experiencing a hysterical pregnancy, he considers leaving the teaching field to become an accountant. He ultimately decides against it, though briefly works after hours at the school as a janitor to earn extra money. His dedication to the glee club wavers when his choreography skills are called into question, but after starting a well-received all-male a cappella
group, the Acafellas, he recommits to the club. After discovering Terri faked her pregnancy, Will ends his marriage and shares a kiss with Emma. He also kisses Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, Rachel Berry's mother (Idina Menzel
). In season 2, with Emma having married Carl Howell, he starts a relationship with Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow) in the episode "Sexy
". Eventually, Holly gets a job in Cleveland, leaving Will free to pursue Emma after Emma's marriage ends in an annulment. April Rhodes returns and asks for Will's help with her new Broadway project: a one-woman show entitled Crossrhodes, but he ultimately decides that his kids in New Directions are more important than his dreams of Broadway.
) is the coach of the cheerleading squad called the Cheerios, and the glee club's "arch-nemesis." Lynch states that Sue is "pure evil and doesn't hide it," having been created as a product of Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk's "inner mean girl." With regards to her motivation, Lynch explained: "Sue will do whatever it takes to win. If that means she has to prostitute herself or take advantage of a 16-year-old boy, she'll do it. It's all about power and winning. That's her entire world view." Sue enlists cheerleaders Quinn, Brittany and Santana to help her bring the glee club down from the inside. She has her own spot on the local news, which she uses to editorialize on issues such as support for caning and littering. At the end of the episode "Vitamin D
", Sue is made co-director of the glee club, but soon scales back her involvement to an advisory role. In the episode "Wheels", Sue allows Becky Jackson, a girl with Down Syndrome
to join the Cheerios as a replacement for Quinn. It is later revealed that Sue has an older sister, Jean, who herself has Down Syndrome, showing a softer side to her normally abrasive character. Hoping to sabotage the glee club's chances of winning at sectionals
, Sue gives the club's set list to rival glee club directors Grace Hitchens (Eve) and Dalton Rumba (Michael Hitchcock
). When her actions are discovered by Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
), Sue is suspended from the school. She is later reinstated after blackmailing Figgins, and wins her sixth consecutive national cheerleading title. In the season one finale, Sue judges in favor of New Directions at regionals, though they come third to rival clubs Vocal Adrenaline and Aural Intensity, and are disbanded for failing to place. Sue then blackmails Principal Figgins to reinstate the club, giving them another year to prove their worth to the school.
In the second season, Sue is appointed acting principal after having Figgins infected with the flu but she later stands down. Sue arranges to have the cheerleading regionals competition moved to conflict with the football championship, and she forces Quinn, Brittany and Santana to quit glee club, which has to perform the halftime show since the Cheerios will be absent; the three of them ultimately perform with the glee club, resigning from the Cheerios. Missing three of its best cheerleaders, the Cheerios lose regionals after six straight nationals wins. Faking a depression after the loss, Sue joins the glee club for a week; when she can't destroy it from within, she decides to coach one of their rivals, Aural Intensity, to a regionals victory over New Directions, but New Directions emerges victorious. Sue's sister, Jean, dies later in the season, and Sue is devastated and unable to cope; when New Directions helps with funeral arrangements and performs at Jean's funeral, Sue says she's giving up her frequent attempts to destroy the glee club, but she's back to her old ways when school starts in the fall. She also begins a run for a vacant Congressional seat, which she loses to Burt Hummel.
," giving Finn Hudson
grief over being in the glee club. Azimio is one of the school's bullies, and friends with teammate and fellow bully Dave Karofsky. Although he is usually seen harassing members of the glee club, Azimio was the first of the football players in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
" to agree to perform in the halftime show the night of the championship game in order to be allowed to play in the second half, saying he wanted to win the game because it would mean so much to his father. Although he has typically been seen in tandem with Karofsky, he has recently been featured on his own, first as part of a "heckling club" organized by Sue to disrupt the glee club's benefit concert in "A Night of Neglect
", during which it is revealed he writes devastating anonymous commentary in NCIS
and CSI: Miami
chat rooms, and then as one of Sue's staffers for the school newspaper when she revives The Muckraker in "Rumours
" to spread damaging rumors about New Directions members. Karofsky, having given up bullying, confronts Azimio in "Born This Way
" about his own bullying; it's not known whether they are still friends.
) is the editor of the school newspaper. He has been compared in the media to Perez Hilton
and Gossip Girl. Jacob has a crush on Rachel, who feels uneasy around him but relies on him for positive reviews. Although he attends Celibacy Club meetings, Jacob behaves in a sexually forward manner toward Rachel, threatening to sabotage her musical career unless she shows him her bra, blackmailing her for a pair of her panties in the episode "Throwdown
" and masturbating over video footage of her in "Britney/Brittany
." He briefly joins New Directions in order to fill the membership quota for sectionals, as a temporary replacement for Finn
. Although he does not sing in the competition, he remains with the club throughout the remainder of the episode, helping them to listen in on the judges. The season two premiere episode "Audition
" opens with a documentary on New Directions, created by Jacob, which was used by the Glee producers to directly address media criticism of the first season.
) is a transfer student who joins the football team in season two, though he only appears for that one season. Encouraged by Finn to audition for New Directions, he joins the males of the group in a performance of "Billionaire
", the same song with which Overstreet studio tested for Glee. Despite some trepidation about the effect it may have on his social status, Sam eventually joins the glee club. With the connivance of Finn and Rachel, he and Quinn are partnered for, and win, a duet competition within the group, after which their victory dinner turns into a first date; the victory later nets them a lead performance at sectionals During the date, Sam admits to Quinn that he used lemon juice to bleach his hair, after Kurt suspecting he dyed his hair blond. Quinn accepts Sam's promise ring after he jumps in to defend Mike and Artie when they are attacked by Karofsky for telling him to stop harassing Kurt. But later in the season Quinn kisses Finn, and lies to Sam about it; Santana tells Sam, and by the end of "Comeback
", Sam breaks up with Quinn and starts dating Santana, though she soon drops him to fake a relationship with Karofsky. Sam's parents lose their jobs, their house is foreclosed, and the family now lives in a motel room. At some point after going to junior prom together, Sam and Mercedes start to secretly date.
Following Overstreet's casting, media speculation suggested Sam might have been created as a boyfriend for Kurt. Overstreet later confirmed this, but stated that his storyline had been adjusted to pair Sam with Quinn, as a result of the chemistry the producers detected between himself and Agron. Overstreet left the show when his option for being a series regular in season three was not picked up; according to Brad Falchuk, he was instead offered a ten-episode contract. However, Overstreet will return as Sam in a multi-episode arc in season three, beginning with the eighth episode.
) is a foreign exchange student from Northern Ireland
who is living with Brittany's family. Rory first appeared in the episode of the third season in "Pot o' Gold
". Brittany was initially convinced that Rory was a magical leprechaun
whom only she could see and was there to grant her three wishes. Additionally, Rory is a fan of Finn Hudson, and is persuaded by Finn to join New Directions—he auditions with the song "Take Care of Yourself
" in a performance characterized by Rachel as "magical". Rory looks up to Finn, and tries to defend Finn when Santana insults him, only to get his own share of insults from her. He is given his first lead vocal in a Hall & Oates
mash-up, singing one verse in a duet with Tina. The character of Rory was created for McGinty after he won a recurring role for seven episodes on Glee as a contestant on The Glee Project
. The idea of his character interacting with Brittany was first broached in the penultimate episode of The Glee Project, with the judges speculating that Brittany would not be able to understand a word the character said due to his Irish accent.
) is a member of the Cheerios with Down Syndrome
, who becomes a sidekick to Sue. Potter is a member of the Down's Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, and was contacted about auditioning through the association's in-house talent agency, Hearts and Hands. Fourteen actresses auditioned for the role, which Potter deemed "a great experience" to perform. Becky appears in three episodes of the first season, "Wheels", "The Power of Madonna" and "Home" and returns in the second season as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester's "secretary"; she does everything Sue tells her to do, including heckling the glee club in "A Night of Neglect
", though her honest reactions to events have an effect on Sue. Becky is briefly kicked off the cheerleading squad by Sue in "Funeral
" after Sue's sister, who also has Down Syndrome, dies; Becky asks to join the glee club, but she is told that it's too late in the show choir season, though she is offered a spot next year. Sue then apologies to Becky, reinstates her, and tells Becky she'll be captain of the Cheerios in the fall, however, she is made co-captain with Santana Lopez, to her ire.
". He is a member of the hockey team who slushies
Finn, but by "Theatricality
" he's on the football team with his friend and fellow bully Azimio (James Earl); they regularly target members of New Directions. In the episode "Never Been Kissed
", written to tackle the issue of LGBT
youth bullying, Karofsky kisses Kurt during an argument. He later warns Kurt not to tell anyone about it, threatening to kill him if he does. He is expelled for his death threat, but allowed to return by the school board as no physical violence was witnessed—and Kurt had not revealed the kiss. He is briefly kicked off the football team with the other non-glee club members in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
", but they return to perform the championship game's half-time show mashup of "Thriller
/Heads Will Roll" with the club, and ultimately win the game. In the episode "Born This Way
", after being blackmailed by Santana, he issues an apology to Kurt at a group meeting involving their fathers, Principal Figgins and Will. In "Prom Queen
", when Karofsky wins prom king and Kurt, shockingly, wins prom queen, the two walk onto the floor for the traditional king and queen dance, but Karofsky is unable to come out as Kurt suggests, and leaves. He next appears in the third season episode "The First Time
". He has transferred to another high school from McKinley for his senior year; he sees Kurt in a gay bar, and tells Kurt he has become a regular there and feels accepted.
Adler had previously questioned his character's motivations, but was surprised by the scene in which Karofsky kisses Kurt. He commented that he was "glad to represent such a large group of people," expanding: "I've gotten so many messages from people all around the world these last couple of days thanking me because either they are Karofsky, they were Karofsky or they know a Karofsky." Show co-creator Ryan Murphy noted that "Glee is by nature optimistic and I think a character like Karofsky could turn to booze or pills or alcohol and kill themselves or do something dark. But I also love Max and I love that character and I sorta want that character to have a happy ending."
) is a student at McKinley. Her father is the wealthy owner of a piano business who donates three repossessed pianos to the glee club in "The Purple Piano Project
", the episode in which she first appears. Sugar has self-diagnosed Asperger syndrome
, which she uses to explain why she can say whatever she wants. After the glee club performs in the school cafeteria in the hopes of recruiting new students, Sugar shows up to audition, telling the club that they're terrible but she's awesome and will be their new star. Her audition is a stunningly horrendous rendition of "Big Spender
", and she becomes the first person who fails to get into New Directions after auditioning. In "I Am Unicorn
", her father makes a huge donation to the school to set up a second glee club that will feature Sugar as the star, and recruits Shelby Corcoran to direct it. When Santana, Britney and Mercedes join, Sugar assumes they'll be her backup singers but Santana openly tells her she's not a good singer, and it's best to stay out of their way.
According to Lengies, Sugar's self-diagnosed Aspergers is part of her character. She also says that Sugar will be back to enact a form of revenge on the glee club, and revealed that it was difficult to sing poorly on purpose, especially with piano accompaniment. Sugar's debut was praised by Salon
Matt Zoller Seitz, who said of the new addition to McKinley, "She's awful. She's also an entitled little snot... She's a great character, and I hope we haven't seen the last of her." Entertainment Weekly
Abby West praised Sugar, and with Sue otherwise occupied hoped to see more of Sugar as "a thorn in the Glee club's side." On the other hand, TV Guide
"jeered" Sugar, calling her "an off-key addition to the cast". The A.V. Club
Todd VanDerWerff concurred, and said of "I Am Unicorn", "Sugar continues to be one of my least favorite new characters in ages". Additionally, TV.com
named Sugar the eighth worst new TV character of the 2011 season.
) is the McKinley High AV club president and a state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling
. During the first season, Kurt tells his father that Lauren's parents had to sue the school district to get Lauren a spot on the wrestling team. Lauren has an acerbic personality and is admired by Puck for being "a bigger bad-ass" than he is. She is overweight and has a love of candy, specifically Cadbury Creme Eggs. Lauren has occasionally been seen dressing in the Goth style and is a fan of the Twilight book series. She joins New Directions in the episode "Special Education
", enabling the club to meet the member quota for sectionals. Early in her tenure, she claims that show choir is stupid, but on several subsequent occasions she is seen enjoying singing and performing in the background. She performs "I Know What Boys Like", her first solo, in "Comeback
". She campaigns with Puck for prom king and queen, though they both lose, and the two are still a couple at the end of the second season. However, after the glee club finishes twelfth at Nationals, Lauren concludes that being in New Directions is hurting her credibility, so she quits the group and breaks up with Puck at the start of the new school year.
makes a guest appearance as Suzy Pepper, a senior with "an insane, absurd, psychotic crush on Mr. Schuester." Drew described Suzy as "kind of stalkerish and creepy", but ultimately redeemable. James Poniewozik of Time
commented positively on Suzy's characterization, observing that while she appeared to be a "throwaway dorky-girl stereotype", she was "fleshed-out as a person", a feat he doubted the series would have been capable of earlier in the season. In season three, LaMarcus Tinker
portrays Shane, a new love interest for Mercedes and a "massive linebacker for the McKinley Titans".
The William McKinley Jazz Ensemble frequently accompanies New Directions in their on-screen musical numbers. The student ensemble was introduced in the pilot
episode, with Artie Abrams
a member of that group as well as the glee club. Regular members of the group include a drummer played by John Lock and a bassist played by Scott Henson, both introduced in the pilot; a guitarist played by Spencer Conley, first seen in "Throwdown
"; and a keyboardist played by Mark Nilan Jr., who first appears in "The Power of Madonna
". Other student instrumentalists accompanying New Directions include string and horn players, additional guitarists, keyboard players, and percussionists, and a harpist. The only instrumentalist to receive a co-starring credit is bassist Scott Henson (as "Scott T. Henson, guitarist") for having a line of dialogue in "A Very Glee Christmas
". John Lock is frequently shown waiting for Finn Hudson
to relinquish the drums to him, and Spencer Conley was featured in amongst the glee club girls in their performance of the "Start Me Up / Livin' on a Prayer" mash-up in "Never Been Kissed
". None of these instrumentalists have been given character names, and Conley and Nilan have not appeared in any third season episodes.
) is the new football coach in season two, replacing Ken Tanaka. She comes to William McKinley High with an enviable record of coaching successful football teams, and Principal Figgins boosts the football program budget for her by reducing the cheerleading and glee club budgets, which dismays Sue and Will, and drives them into a temporary alliance against her. Beiste is dismayed by their rudeness, but forgives Will when he apologizes and goes on to develop a friendship with him. She contemplates resigning upon learning that several students have been fantasizing about her in order to curb their arousal while making out. Will has the students apologize and earn her forgiveness. He also learns that Beiste has never been kissed, which leads to him giving her a first kiss. Beiste later helps the glee club members preserve Brittany's continued belief in Santa Claus: disguised as Santa, she explains to Brittany why her wish that Artie be made to walk cannot be granted; later, she anonymously obtains a ReWalk
to allow Artie to walk for short periods of time. When antagonism flares between the football team's glee and non-glee factions, Beiste forces the football team and glee club to work together for one week; despite encountering resistance and set-backs, the plan is ultimately successful and the team wins the championship game. During the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
", Beiste takes Will out for a fun time at a rodeo bar where she sings her first solo: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
".
) is the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline during season one, described by Murphy as "a sort of Faye Dunaway
of Network
". She makes out with Will shortly after meeting him, but she resists sleeping with him when he says his divorce is not yet final and that he has just broken up with his new girlfriend, Emma. Fans had lobbied for Menzel to be cast as Rachel's biological mother, due to the strong resemblance between Menzel and Michele. In the episode "Dream On
", it is revealed that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother. She had signed a contract that stated that she could not seek out her daughter until she was eighteen. In the season one finale, "Journey to Regionals", Shelby adopts Quinn Fabray
and Noah Puckerman's newborn daughter, Beth. She leaves Vocal Adrenaline before the beginning of the next school year.
Shelby returns in the second episode of season three, "I Am Unicorn
", having been recruited to lead a second glee club at McKinley High by Sugar Motta's father when Sugar is refused entry into New Directions. Shelby offers to include both Quinn and Puck in Beth's life. In "Pot o' Gold
", Shelby tells Puck that she is struggling at being a mother; as the episode ends, they kiss. Puck falls in love with her, but Shelby tells him in "Mash Off
" that the kiss was a mistake.
) is William McKinley High School's "stern but fair" principal. Figgins allows Will to take over the school glee club; however, he insists that the students must place at Regionals in order for the club to continue. He is regularly blackmailed by Sue, first when she uncovers internet footage of him appearing in a support stocking commercial for Mumbai Air, and later when she drugs his drink and takes a compromising photograph of them in bed together. Sue serves as Figgins' replacement when he catches the flu, and succeeds in having him fired. She resigns in the following episode, and he is reinstated.
Although Figgins was initially conceived as White
, Pakistani American
actor Theba was cast in the role. He finds Figgins a challenging character to play, as it entails finding "the right mix of someone who is an authority figure but who is also very insecure about his own strengths as a person." He has stated that Figgins may perform a musical number on the show in the future.
Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow
) is a substitute teacher at McKinley High. Her first appearance was in the second season episode "The Substitute
", when she temporarily takes over as the director of the glee club while Will Schuester is out sick. Paltrow's Glee appearance marked her first ever scripted-series guest performance. The role of Holly was created for her by series creator Ryan Murphy, a personal friend who suggested that she showcase her vocal and dancing talent ahead of the December 2010 release of the film Country Strong, in which Paltrow plays a country singer. Holly makes a return appearance in the episode "Sexy
", this time subbing for McKinley's sex education
teacher, in which it is revealed that she attended an all-women's college. In that same episode she also begins a romantic relationship with Will. Holly's third and final appearance that season is in the episode "A Night of Neglect
", where she sings "Turning Tables
" by Adele
in a benefit concert and breaks off her relationship with Will because she knows he is in love with Emma. On March 17, 2011, it was confirmed that Paltrow as Holly would be returning for a series of guest appearances in the show's third season. In the first season, Finn mentions Gwyneth Paltrow having named her child Apple during a discussion with Quinn on suitable baby names.
) is the former director of the McKinley High glee club. Although he claims to have a girlfriend, Rachel refers to him as a "closet case," and he is fired for his inappropriate sexual behavior towards a male student. Following his firing, he becomes a drug dealer, reselling medical marijuana. When he wants to join Will's band, the Acafellas, they initially reject him for being too "creepy," but change their minds when he tells them that Josh Groban
is a friend of his and will attend their next performance if Sandy is in it. While Groban does attend, he does so only to serve Sandy with a restraining order
for constantly sending him inappropriate photos and messages over the internet. Colluding with Sue Sylvester to bring down New Directions, Sandy is appointed the school Arts director. Sandy appears in Rachel's music video for "Run Joey Run
," playing her father, and gives Will advice about beating rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. His behavior is often eccentric, including doll collecting, writing fan fiction
about Desperate Housewives
, and attempting to create a role for himself as Cleopatra in the school production of Cabaret
. The casting notice for the role of Sandy read, in part, "He's gay, but covers it ... most of the time. With a pastel sweater thrown over his shoulders, Sandy is the former Glee Club teacher, who is given the axe after an episode of inappropriate touching." Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Sandy, describes him as a humorous character who "just cannot connect with the normal world" and exists on the "outer boundary of reality." Tim Stack for Entertainment Weekly
has praised Sandy as "one of the most reliable characters for great lines and laughs." In the first few episodes, it was implied heavily that Sandy was gay. Season two episode "A Night of Neglect
" confirmed this, with Sandy characterizing himself as a "predatory gay". He joins Sue Sylvester’s "League of Doom" (codename "The Pink Dagger") in that episode, but ends up donating money to support the school's academic decathlon team, spoiling Sue's plans.
) was the head coach of the football team and was previously engaged to Emma.
Gallagher has stated: "I think you understand where Ken comes from as they go on. You understand where the bitterness comes from, and people may start to like him a little. Ken will keep going [after Emma]. Ken will go after what he wants. The one thing Ken won't do is give up." Though Gallagher is Chinese
-Irish
, Ken is Japanese
. Comparing himself to his character, Gallagher detailed: "I'm more like him than I care to admit. I realized I was going for what I like to think as an older version of me from years ago. I think Ken is not happy with where he is in life. I think he's still got a good heart, but there's this insecurity and bitterness piled on top of it. I think love is in Ken's head, and love for me is kind of an idealistic concept. But one thing I really respect about him is that he goes after something: He just doggedly pursues Emma. I wish I was more like that. In some ways, he's a little bit braver than I am. I mean — look at what he wears. That takes guts." Gallagher finds the character interesting, as to play the role he has to face his own "insecurities" and "bitterness". Gallagher feels that he draws much of Ken's characterization from himself, while also "channeling" his high school gym teachers. He commented: "the real challenge is to find the balance between not trying to be too funny, not trying to make it funny, just letting it be funny, and just delivering the line and letting the writing do the work for you."
He did not return for the second season; the new football coach, Shannon Beiste, is played by Dot-Marie Jones
. Principal Figgins explains that Ken had a nervous breakdown.
guest stars in the episode "Acafellas" as Henri St. Pierre, "a retired wood shop teacher with an excellent singing voice". Molly Shannon
appears as Brenda Castle, an alcoholic astronomy teacher and badminton coach who clashes with Sue. Brad Ellis
plays Brad, the pianist who accompanies New Directions. Barbara Tarbuck
appears in the third season as Nancy Bletheim, a geometry teacher who's been at McKinley High for 42 years, who supports Sue's congressional run. Mary Gillis plays Mrs. Hagberg, who appears in "Prom Queen
" teaching home economics, and in "I Am Unicorn
" teaching geography.
) is a foreign exchange student
from the Philippines
. Rachel invites her to glee club after seeing Sunshine sing along to New Directions' version of "Empire State of Mind
", mistakenly thinking that Sunshine idolized her. After the two competitively sing "Telephone
", however, Rachel is threatened by Sunshine's singing prowess and tricks her into going to a crack house
instead of the auditions. Rachel is found out, and Sunshine eventually does audition, amazing the club with "Listen". Though she is immediately accepted into the club, Sue Sylvester
contacts Dustin Goolsby, the new director of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, who secures permanent U.S. residency and a condominium unit for Sunshine and her mother on the provision that she join his club. Sunshine confesses that she would have loved to stay, but she felt that Rachel would have made her stay a "living hell". In "A Night of Neglect
", Sunshine appears as a member of Carmel High's academic decathlon team though they lose to the McKinley High team. Sunshine hears of New Direction's fundraising benefit and volunteers as a singer and promises to get her six hundred Twitter followers to attend. Though Rachel is suspicious that she might be a spy, they accept her offer after she sings "All By Myself
". However, Dustin Goolsby pulls her out of the fundraiser and her followers do not attend. Sunshine reappears in the season two finale "New York
". Rachel apologizes to Sunshine and convinces her not to quit Vocal Adrenaline, despite her being their biggest threat. Sunshine subsequently performs the original song "As Long As You're There" with Vocal Adrenaline who place in the top ten.
International pop singer Charice was signed to join the recurring cast, and returned in "A Night of Neglect
" to help with the glee club's fundraiser for the academic decathlon team, though Vocal Adrenaline director Dustin Goolsby prevented her from performing. She appears with Vocal Adrenaline at the Nationals competition in the season two finale, "New York
". Co-creator and executive producer Brad Falchuk
has not ruled out Sunshine returning to New Directions in season three.
) is the director of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline who replaces Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
) when she leaves the post after leading the team to four national championships in a row. Murphy described Dustin as "a complete villain", stating that he will "become very intertwined in Will's life". He is first introduced in the episode "Audition
", escorting his new recruit Sunshine Corazon out of William McKinley High School and taking her away from its glee club, having been tipped off about her by Sue Sylvester, and employed the underhanded tactics of offering to sponsor Sunshine's visa
and arranging an apartment for her and her family as payment for her joining Vocal Adrenaline despite her being enrolled at McKinley High. He returns in "A Night of Neglect
", joining Sue's "League of Doom" to help her sabotage the McKinley glee club, and returns again at the National show choir competition in the season two finale, "New York
", where Vocal Adrenaline comes in second—as is subsequently revealed in the third-season episode "I Am Unicorn
"—and Goolsby is fired as director for failing to win a fifth national crown.
Jackson was originally considered for the role of Will, and in 2009 was initially cast in the Glee episode "Acafellas
" as Vocal Adrenaline choreographer Dakota Stanley, but he was unable to perform due to illness.
Academy for troubled female youth. She is persuaded by Sue to use songs from New Directions' set list at Sectionals to give her group an edge in the competition. Though she feels guilty after the fact and attempts to inform the judges of her cheating, they have already unanimously chosen New Directions as the winning club. She and rival glee club director Dalton Rumba give Principal Figgins proof that Sue helped them cheat, leading to Sue's suspension. When comparing her character to McKinley High glee club director, Will Schuester, Eve explained: "I come from a harder place. I'm the teacher of a reform school. I'm used to being very strict." Whitney Houston
had been contacted to appear, but declined, so Eve took her place. Discussing her casting, Eve stated: "I got asked and I'd heard the buzz about the show. When the first pilot episode
came out, I figured it was something different and something we haven't seen on TV before. I didn't want to turn it down!" Gerrick D. Kennedy for the Los Angeles Times
was impressed by Eve's acting and "on-screen charm", and felt that she worked nicely in the "Hairography" episode. In contrast, Bobby Hankinson for the Houston Chronicle
was disappointed Houston had not taken the role, and criticized Eve for her lack of personality.
) is the male lead of Vocal Adrenaline and one of the main antagonists of the first season. He is directed to befriend Rachel by Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, who is secretly her biological mother. Jesse and Rachel begin dating, and he briefly transfers to McKinley High, joining New Directions. Once the truth about Shelby is revealed, however, Jesse transfers back. He ends his relationship with Rachel by egging her in the McKinley High parking lot along with his fellow members of Vocal Adrenaline, humiliating her. In the episode "Prom Queen
", he returns, after having flunked out of college, in an attempt to befriend Rachel again, claiming that his biggest regret was choosing Vocal Adrenaline over love. He joins Rachel, Sam and Mercedes, who have teamed up to go do "prom on a budget", at the McKinley junior prom. He sets up a consulting business to help show choirs with their performances; his first client is New Directions. His attempts to resume a relationship with Rachel ultimately fail; she and Finn get back together. But will return in season 3 according to a tweet made by Lea Michele
In a controversial essay
for Newsweek
, critic Ramin Setoodeh wrote that Groff, who is openly gay, was unconvincing as the straight Jesse ("he seems more like your average theater queen, a better romantic match for Kurt than Rachel"). Groff's performance was defended by Murphy and guest star Kristin Chenoweth
, both of whom described Setoodeh's essay as homophobic; it was also condemned by GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios
.
appears as Dakota Stanley, a glee club choreographer who worked for Vocal Adrenaline early in season one, and was briefly hired by New Directions. Michael Hitchcock
appears as Dalton Rumba, the coach of the Haverbrook Deaf Choir. Senior Dalton Academy Warblers from the second season include Wes (Telly Leung), David (Titus Makin, Jr.), and Thad (Eddy Martin
), who run the group's meetings. Another Warbler is Nick (Curt Mega), who sings lead for the Warblers in the third season. A new Warbler, Sebastian Smythe, played by Grant Gustin
, was introduced in the third season's fifth episode. Sebastian sets his sights on Blaine, and has been likened to Santana in terms of morals and promiscuity.
) is Terri Schuester's sister. She and her husband Phil (Michael Loeffelholz) have triplet sons (played by Ethan, Aidan, and Ben Freedman). She influences many of Terri's decisions during her hysterical-turned-fake pregnancy by assisting Terri in her schemes, and predicting disaster whenever Terri contemplates confessing the truth to Will. In the episode "Throwdown
", Kendra and Terri bully their obstetrician, Dr. Wu (Kenneth Choi
), into faking an ultrasound to convince Will the baby is real. Entertainment Weeklys Wendy Mitchell deemed Kendra "hilarious" and wished to see more of her, while her colleague at the magazine, Ken Tucker, described Kendra as "a garish cartoon who exists only to further the pregnancy plotting".
) is introduced in "The Purple Piano Project
" at an Ohio mixer for future applicants to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA), and is one of a group of aspiring students to have been attending monthly since they were freshmen. She has been working in show business since before birth—an ultrasound of her was featured in an episode of Murder, She Wrote
. When Rachel and Kurt
come to their first NYADA mixer, Harmony sings lead on an extensively choreographed mashup of "Anything Goes
" and "Anything You Can Do" from the musicals Anything Goes
and Annie Get Your Gun
, which intimidates the two new arrivals. Harmony is portrayed by The Glee Project
runner-up Pearce, and her debut was met with critical acclaim. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
wrote that hers might be "the best new character ever", and TVLine
Michael Slezak felt that Harmony was "brilliantly bought to life" by Pearce. Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic said that her introduction bodes well for future Glee Project contestants and that "she brought, which the best new characters do, fresh and exciting aspects in the show's established leads". However, AfterEllen.com
Christie Keith was more critical of her appearance, and wrote, "Since Lindsay is one of the main reasons I couldn't stand to watch The Glee Project, and no, she can't sing remotely as well as Lea Michele, and none of the boys there was close to being as darling as Kurt, I was forced to suspend disbelief when the whole experience devastated Kurt and Rachel."
) is a dentist, introduced in "Britney/Brittany
" as Emma's boyfriend. As a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
, Carl volunteers to play Eddie in McKinley High's school production of the musical. He dislikes Emma and Will spending time alone together, aware that Will has feelings for her. In the episode "Special Education
", Carl and Emma marry in Las Vegas
. However, after Emma naively advocates abstinence to the glee club with a performance of "Afternoon Delight", a song actually about the joys of sex, Carl requests a private couples counseling session with Holly Holliday, the acting sexual education teacher, as his and Emma's marriage hadn't been consummated after four months. Holly forces Emma to admit she is still attracted to Will, leading to Carl walking out and filing for annulment.
) is Finn's widowed mother and Kurt's stepmother, and wife to Kurt's dad Burt. When Finn was young, she had a relationship with a lawn-care worker who left her for a younger woman. Upon discovering that Quinn is pregnant, she allows her to move in with them when Quinn's parents kick her out. Kurt sets Carole up with his father Burt in an attempt to get closer to Finn. They decide to move in together, until Finn uses a homophobic slur against Kurt and Burt refuses to allow him to stay in his home. Their relationship continues, however, and Carole visits his bedside when Burt suffers a heart attack. James Poniewozik of Time
felt that Carole's reaction to the news of Quinn's pregnancy demonstrated how far Glee had evolved from the "broadly caricatured show" it was in its early episodes. He commented that in the pilot episode, Carole was "just the slightly pathetic figure we saw pining after the lawn-care guy", however her reaction to Quinn's pregnancy was "a brilliant bit of characterization through small moments", an example of how "Glee is becoming very good at showing how life happens in small exchanges in people's laundry rooms and finished basements."
", humiliating Sue. As a local celebrity, Rod has been tapped to judge show choir competitions—he has appeared as a judge for three of those that New Directions has competed in: the first season's Sectionals competition, and the Regionals competitions for both seasons.
April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth
) is a former member of the glee club who never finished high school and ended up hitting rock bottom, as well as Will's high school crush, who never acknowledged his existence. She briefly rejoins the glee club as an adult, during a period of time in which Rachel had left the club and it was in need of a female lead. During her revisit to the school, she gives muscle magazines and alcohol to Kurt, she teaches Mercedes and Tina how to shoplift, and has a brief romance with Puck. April appears once again, at which point she has become the mistress to an elderly tycoon and is the owner/operator of a "cabaret roller rink". Suddenly her boyfriend dies and she is paid $2 million in hush money by the widow not to go to the newspapers. April then decides to buy the glee club their auditorium back, now called The April Rhodes Civic Pavilion, and return to Broadway
to back an all-white version of The Wiz
. The show flops, and she returns in the season 2 episode "Rumours" to get Will's help with her new one-woman show, CrossRhodes.
Robert Bianco for USA Today
wrote of Chenoweth's guest appearance in "The Rhodes Not Taken
": "Her presence may not make much sense, but that's probably all right. If it means hearing Chenoweth sing, we can put up with any explanation the show cares to offer." Raymund Flandez for The Wall Street Journal
was equally positive regarding Chenoweth's role, praising her "powerful voice", "kittenish mien" and "commanding presence". Eric Goldman for IGN
stated that Chenoweth was "terrific" as April, and that the character was a "hysterical creation". The Los Angeles Times
Denise Martin praised Chenoweth's versatility as April, opining that her performance was worthy of a second Emmy win.
) is Will's high school nemesis. Bryan appears in "Dream On
" as a school board member, out to cut district arts programs and the McKinley High glee club in particular as revenge for the latter giving him false hope back when he was its lead singer. Harris won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award
for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" for his appearance.
's older sister. Jean, who has Down syndrome
, lives in an assisted living
facility, and is the only character Sue consistently treats with care and compassion. She is a factor in Sue's decision to admit Becky Jackson—who also has Down syndrome—to the Cheerios. Jean dies near the end of the second season, in the episode "Funeral
".
and Debra Monk
as Will's parents. Josh Groban
and Olivia Newton-John
have appeared as themselves, both separately and acting as judges at the first-season show choir regionals competition. The second season's regionals judges are played by Kathy Griffin
and Loretta Devine
as Tammy Jean Albertson and Sister Mary Constance, respectively. Kent Avenido appears in both seasons as Howard Bamboo, Terri's dyslexic coworker who joins the Acafellas and later Sue's "League of Doom", and Kenneth Choi
plays Dr. Wu, Terri's obstetrician. Earlene Davis plays Andrea Carmichael, Rod Remington's TV news co-anchor who later marries him. Daniel Roebuck
has appeared twice as Paul Karofsky, father of McKinley High student Dave Karofsky. Carol Burnett
appears as Sue's "famous Nazi hunter" mother in season two. Kathleen Quinlan
appears as Dr. Shane, a psychiatrist treating Emma Pillsbury. Kari Coleman
appears as Donna Jackson, Becky Jackson's mother. In the third season, Mike Chang's parents Julia Chang (Tamlyn Tomita
) and Mike Chang, Sr. (Keong Sim
) appear in the season's third episode, and they may be recurring characters. Emma's parents—Rusty and Rose Pillsbury—are also seen in that episode, and are played by Don Most
and Valerie Mahaffey respectively. Cooter Menkins, a football recruiter played by Eric Bruskotter
, came to McKinley in "The First Time
" to scout football players for Ohio State, and is attracted to Coach Beiste.
—Damian McGinty, Samuel Larsen, Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell—are each being cast in a recurring role during the third season. Pearce appeared in the first episode, and McGinty appeared starting in the fourth episode as Rory Flanagan, an Irish exchange student, who is living with Brittany's family. As a consequence of this, they are also casting Brittany's mother, though she has not yet appeared. Larsen will make his debut in early 2012 in episode ten or eleven, with Newell appearing later in the season as a member of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Storylines will "include several characters’ parents as the college talk heats up"; Mike Chang's parents have already appeared, and the mother and father of returning club member Sam Evans will be appearing: his father will be played by John Schneider
, and his mother by Tanya Clarke, in what may be a recurring role. Santana's grandmother will also be appearing.
Javier Bardem
and Anne Hathaway
were previously confirmed to guest star in the future, Hathaway as Kurt's lesbian aunt. However, Hathaway had still not heard from Ryan Murphy as of August 2011, seven months after he initially announced her forthcoming appearance.
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
is a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States. It focuses on the high school glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues. The initial main cast encompassed club director and Spanish teacher Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
), cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
(Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
), guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
), Will's wife Terri
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
), and eight club members played by Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
, Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
, Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
, Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
, Mark Salling and Jenna Ushkowitz. For the second season, formerly recurring cast members Mike O'Malley
Mike O'Malley
Michael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
were promoted to the main cast. In the third season the main cast remained at fifteen, with Harry Shum Jr. and Darren Criss
Darren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
promoted to it, while Gilsig and O'Malley no longer received star billing.
The series has many supporting characters, including faculty members, students and relatives of the glee club members. Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
stars including Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
, John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Mills Young is an American actor and singer. In 2006, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics...
, Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American singer-songwriter, stage, television and film actor. He originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening and appeared as Jesse St...
, and Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
have been featured in guest roles. A number of the principal actors were cast directly from Broadway, while those without theatrical backgrounds were required to demonstrate singing and dancing as well as acting ability.
Casting
In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, Murphy spent three months on Broadway, where he found Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), who had previously starred on stage in HairsprayHairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and The Light in the Piazza, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry (Glee)
Rachel Berry is a fictional character and de facto female lead from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad...
), who starred in Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
, and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
), from the Broadway revival of The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
. The role of Rachel was written specifically for Michele.
Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
) had originally auditioned to play Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
. Although Colfer had no previous professional experience, Murphy was so impressed by Colfer's performance that the role of Kurt Hummel, named after the character Kurt from The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, was created for him.
Auditioning actors with no theatrical experience were required to demonstrate their ability to sing and dance. Jayma Mays (Emma Pillsbury) auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me
Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me
"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" is the eleventh song in The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. It is sung by Janet and features one-liners from Rocky, Brad, Frank'n'Furter, Magenta, Riff Raff and Columbia.-Origin:...
" from The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
, while Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
) initially submitted a tape of himself acting only, and was requested to submit a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
's "Can't Fight This Feeling
Can't Fight This Feeling
"Can't Fight This Feeling" is a number-one power ballad from REO Speedwagon about a man falling in love with a girl with whom he has been friends for a long time....
". Cory Monteith has deemed his casting "spot on" as his lack of formal training is reflected in the abilities of his character, Finn Hudson.
Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
) came from a boy-band background, having previously been part of the group Not Like Them. He auditioned with the song "Let It Be" and tested alongside Colfer and Ushkowitz. McHale explained that the diversity of the cast's backgrounds reflects the range of different musical styles within the show itself: "It's a mix of everything: classic rock, current stuff, R&B. Even the musical theater stuff is switched up. You won't always recognize it." Jane Lynch was originally intended to have a recurring role in the show, but became a series regular when a Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
pilot she was working on for ABC fell through.
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams (Kevin McHaleKevin Michael McHale
Kevin Michael McHale is an American actor, dancer, and singer. Formerly of the boy band NLT, McHale is best known for his current role as Artie Abrams in the Fox hit television series Glee.-Life and career:...
) is a guitarist and paraplegic manual wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
user. McHale describes Artie as a "nerd" who loves the glee club wholeheartedly and uses it as a form of escapism. Artie uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury he received in a car crash at the age of eight. During the first season, he begins to accept his disability and the fact he will never achieve his dream of becoming a dancer. He has a relationship with fellow New Directions member Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
, who breaks up with him at the beginning of the second season. Artie then loses his virginity to cheerleader Brittany Pierce
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
, and with encouragement from his former bully, Puck
Puck (Glee)
Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mark Salling, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Puck was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
, they begin dating.
McHale joined Glee from a dance background, and found it challenging to adapt to using a wheelchair, but was able to utilize his dancing ability in the episode "Dream On
Dream On (Glee)
"Dream On" is the 19th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 18, 2010. It was directed by Joss Whedon and written by series creator Brad Falchuk. Neil Patrick Harris guest-stars as former glee club star Bryan Ryan...
", in which Artie dances in a shopping mall during a fantasy flash mob
Flash mob
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
sequence. The episode "Wheels
Wheels (Glee)
"Wheels" is the ninth episode of the American television series Glee. Written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 2009...
", which places focus on Artie and his disability, drew criticism from a committee of performers with disabilities, who felt that casting an able-bodied actor to play a disabled student was inappropriate. Glee executive producer Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
responded that while he understood the concern and frustration of disability advocates, McHale had the singing and acting ability, talent and charisma required for the role.
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson (Darren CrissDarren Criss
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
) is a gay student at Dalton Academy and a member of the Warblers, a season two Sectionals and Regionals rival of New Directions. While Blaine was initially a recurring character, Criss was promoted to the main cast for the third season. The character is a love interest for Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
, though in the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
Blame It on the Alcohol
"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the television series Glee, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz and first aired in the United States on Fox on February 22, 2011...
", he and Rachel have a brief fling, resulting in Blaine reasserting his identity as gay. Murphy stated, "Darren has a major, major arc... He sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love—he had to leave his own school because of bullying and goes to an all-boys academy and finds acceptance because that school has a no-bullying, zero-tolerance policy." Blaine is a huge role model for Kurt, who develops a crush on him. During "Original Song
Original Song
"Original Song" is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 38th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2011...
", Blaine realizes he reciprocates Kurt's feeling, and they kiss. After Kurt transfers back to McKinley, they attend Kurt's junior prom as a couple. At the beginning of season three, Blaine decides to transfer to McKinley to be with Kurt, and joins New Directions.
Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry (Lea MicheleLea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
) is a "strong, driven" member of the glee club, who is misunderstood by her peers. Michele took the role in Glee because of Rachel's characterization, explaining: "Not only is she a singer, but she has so much heart—I think it's what we need on TV." Michele described the first thirteen episodes of the series as: "Rachel's journey of finding herself within the glee club", explaining that: "She's learning how to be a team player and work within this group."
Rachel has an on-off relationship with Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
throughout the series. She briefly goes out with his best friend Puck, and later dates Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American singer-songwriter, stage, television and film actor. He originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening and appeared as Jesse St...
), the lead singer of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, who ultimately betrays her in favor of his club. Rachel discovers that Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
) is her birth mother—Rachel has two gay dads—but the two fail to forge a relationship. At the end of season one
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
, Finn professes his love for her. They date over the summer and for several episodes in season two
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
, but break up when Rachel makes out with Puck in revenge for Finn having lied about losing his virginity to Santana
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
in season one. At the end of season two, they begin a renewed relationship after Nationals in New York, though Rachel warns Finn she'll be returning to New York for good after she graduates. In the third season
Glee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
, Rachel is cast as Maria in the school's production of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
, she runs for senior class president, and she and Finn have sex for the first time.
Mike Chang
Mike Chang (Harry Shum, Jr.Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
) is a football player and dancer who joins New Directions in the episode "Preggers." Shum stated that Mike is shy, and that he joins the glee club despite it being "social suicide" as "he has finally found a place where he can express himself and feel accepted." Initially a supporting character with no storylines of his own, Mike was slowly developed by the series writers. In the final episode of season one, Mike says that before New Directions, "I was afraid to dance outside my room." In season two he begins dating Tina, and gives his first lead musical performance duetting with her on "Sing!" from A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
, and is selected to perform a dance routine with Brittany for Sectionals in "Special Education
Special Education (Glee)
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 31st episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010...
." He performs the show's first solo dance routine in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
". Mike states that he is a senior in the season three premiere, "The Purple Piano Project
The Purple Piano Project
"The Purple Piano Project" is the premiere episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 45th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Eric Stoltz, and first aired on September 20, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", and Shum as Mike was promoted to the main cast for the show's third season.
Tina Cohen-Chang
Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) auditions for the glee club with the song "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy PerryKaty Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
. She typically dresses in school-girl like clothing, like the Japanese Gothic Lolita fashion. She goes on a date with Artie, and confesses to him that she has been faking a speech impediment since the sixth grade, explaining that she wanted to drive people away, but now that she's a part of the glee club, she no longer wants that. Their relationship continues through the end of that first year. Tina and Mike Chang are counselors at Asian Camp over the summer, and they fall for each other; Tina formally breaks off with Artie at the beginning of the second season, and she and Mike are still in love at the when the school year ends, the only relationship in the glee club to survive the entire school year, and the longest unbroken relationship between the members since the club was formed. It is revealed that she had sex with Mike over the summer, losing her virginity.
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray, real name Lucy Quinn Fabray (Dianna AgronDianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
) is introduced as Finn's girlfriend, head of the cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
squad and president of the celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
club. She is described by Agron as Rachel's enemy, and "terrible, the meanest girl." Quinn joins the glee club because Finn is a member, and because cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester wants her to bring the club down from the inside. She oscillates between desiring acceptance, which she finds in New Directions, and desiring popularity, which she finds on the Cheerios. She reveals to Finn that she is pregnant and tells him that the baby is his, although the real father is Finn's best friend Puck. Eventually the deception is revealed, and Quinn decides to give the baby away. In the season finale, Quinn gives birth to her daughter, whom Puck names Beth. The baby is adopted by Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
), Rachel’s birth mother.
At the beginning of the second season, Quinn rejoins the Cheerios and again becomes the captain, regaining her popularity, though later in the season she quits to remain faithful to New Directions. She begins a relationship with Sam Evans
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
(Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
) in "Duets
Duets (Glee)
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 26th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010...
" but is later unfaithful to him, rekindling her romance with Finn. In the episode "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
", Sam makes a last-ditch attempt to win her back, but ends the relationship after finding out from Santana that Quinn cheated on him with Finn. Quinn and Finn get back together, though eventually Finn realizes his true feelings for Rachel, and breaks up with Quinn.
During the summer between seasons two and three, Quinn undergoes a transformation: she dyes her hair, gets a tattoo and a nose ring, and takes to smoking behind the bleachers with her new clique the Skanks. However, in "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", when Shelby Corcoran joins the McKinley High faculty and talks to Quinn about being involved in Beth's life, Quinn pretends to clean up her act and returns to New Directions, but she intends not to merely be in Beth's life, but to get full custody of her daughter. She also tries to get the government to think that Shelby is an unfit mother by placing knives and hot sauce near Beth.
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson (Cory MonteithCory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
) is star quarterback of the school's football team who risks alienation by his friends to join the glee club. He is dating cheerleader Quinn, but is conflicted by his growing feelings for Rachel. Quinn later tells Finn she is pregnant and he is the father. Finn intends to support her, unaware the father is actually his best friend Puck. He has a premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is a condition in which a man ejaculates earlier than he or his partner would like him to. Premature ejaculation is also known as rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax, or early ejaculation....
problem, which causes him to believe he is the father of Quinn's baby despite the fact that they have never had sex. When he discovers the truth, he breaks up with Quinn and turns to pursuing Rachel. In the season one finale, he professes his love for her before New Directions performs at Regionals, and the second season finds Finn and Rachel a couple. A flurry of infidelities forces the two apart, though Finn succeeds in winning Rachel back in the season two finale, though Rachel warns him that upon graduation she will be leaving Ohio for good.
Burt Hummel
Burt Hummel (Mike O'MalleyMike O'Malley
Michael Edward "Mike" O'Malley is an American actor and playwright who has appeared in films and television series. He hosted Nickelodeon GUTS, and he starred in the CBS comedy Yes, Dear...
) is Kurt's father (and Finn's stepfather after his marriage to Carole Hudson) to whom Kurt comes out in the episode "Preggers
Preggers (Glee)
"Preggers" is the fourth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 23, 2009, and was written and directed by executive producer Brad Falchuk. "Preggers" sees glee club member Kurt join the football team and admit his homosexuality to his...
". Both James Poniewozik for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Tim Stack for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
praised O'Malley's performance in the storyline, with Poniewozik additionally commenting: "the fact that Dad [...] ends up not being the boor we think he's going to be is one of the first signs that Glee is growing up as a series, that having established a world of primary-color stereotypes, it's now willing to subvert those expectations." Initially a recurring cast member, O'Malley was promoted to a series regular from season two.
During the first season, Kurt acts as a matchmaker
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
for Burt and Carole Hudson (Romy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont is a television actress who has appeared in multiple TV series, including Shark, Grey's Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Prison Break and Private Practice. She got her break in 2010, playing Carole Hudson in the musical series Glee...
), Finn's widowed mother. He feels left out when Burt and Finn bond, but Burt reassures him that he will always come first. Burt and Carole briefly live together, until he throws Finn out for using a homophobic slur against Kurt. In season two, Burt has a heart attack but recovers. He and Carole marry, using their vows to express pride in their sons. In the third season, Burt wages a write-in campaign for congress against leading candidate Sue Sylvester.
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel (Chris ColferChris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
) is a singer who is bullied by the football team. He has a high vocal range, and is identified by Fox as a soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
singer. His voice could actually be described as a countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
. Colfer originally auditioned for the role of Artie, however Murphy was so impressed by his performance that the role of Kurt was created for him, replacing a character named Rajish who was initially intended to be a member of the glee club. The character's name is derived from The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
Kurt von Trapp, whom Colfer once played in a production of the musical, and the German Hummel figurines due to his complexion. Colfer describes Kurt as "a tough guy in designer clothes", explaining that he "puts on a very confident, 'I'm better than you' persona, but underneath it all he's the same anxious and scared teen everyone is/was at some point." Over the course of the first season, Kurt comes out as gay and develops a crush on Finn. He also joins the football team as a kicker, with Finn's help, and the cheerleading squad as a singer, though he ultimately quits both. In the episode "Wheels", he competes with Rachel to perform "Defying Gravity
Defying Gravity (song)
"Defying Gravity" is the signature song from the musical Wicked, composed by Stephen Schwartz, originally recorded by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth on November 10, 2003, and released on December 16, 2003...
" from Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
. Murphy selected the song after Colfer relayed a story from his own high school days, whereby his drama teacher refused to let him sing it because of his gender.
After Dave Karofsky bullies him into a depression, Kurt becomes close friends with an openly gay student at Dalton Academy, named Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
. He then transfers to Dalton Academy and joins their show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
named the Warblers. He soon develops romantic feelings for Blaine, with Blaine eventually realizing he returns these feelings. The two begin a relationship. Kurt eventually returns to McKinley.
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones (Amber RileyAmber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
) is a "diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up," with a "flair for fashion". Early in season one, Mercedes develops a crush on Kurt, unaware that he is gay. She is hurt when he rejects her, but supportive when he confides his sexuality. After this, the two become especially close friends. Dismayed at never receiving solo songs, Mercedes and Kurt join the cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, as vocalists. She briefly dates Puck, but ultimately breaks up with him and quits the Cheerios, afraid of turning into someone she does not want to be. She becomes friends with Quinn when the pregnant ex-cheerleader gives her advice during her stint on the Cheerios, and when Quinn is unhappy having to stay at Puck's house, invites Quinn to move in with her family. When Quinn gives birth, she asks that Mercedes be present for the delivery of her child. In season two, she writes and performs an amazing, original song entitled "Hell to the No." After the prom, which she attends in a group with Rachel and Sam and Jesse, Mercedes and Sam begin dating in secret, but he moves away during the summer, and Mercedes has a new boyfriend by the beginning of the third season
Glee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
. In the third episode, Mercedes quits the glee club and joins the new, rival McKinley show choir, the Troubletones, run by Shelby Corcoran, later recruiting Santana and Brittany to join here there.
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez (Naya RiveraNaya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
) is a cheerleader who joins the glee club in the episode "Showmance
Showmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
". Initially a spy for cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, she comes to enjoy her club participation. Her romantic relationships with fellow members Puck and Sam are followed by the realization that she is in love with her best friend Brittany. Afraid of coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian, Santana uses football jock Dave Karofsky—who is also closeted—as a beard to bolster her heterosexual façade and to boost her chances of becoming prom queen, though she fails at the latter.
Having originated as a minor antagonist, Santana's role became more prominent in the second half of the first season
Glee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
, and she became a main character in season two
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
. Rivera characterizes Santana as "a bit of a bad girl", prone to sarcastic remarks. Though she stated in May 2009 that Santana "loves boys", she later deemed Brittany her character's soul mate. In March 2011, Falchuk confirmed, "Santana is a lesbian. She might not be ready to come out yet, but she is."
During the season three premiere, Santana is named co-captain of the Cheerios; both she and the other co-captain, Becky Jackson, are dismayed at having to share the post. As a show of loyalty to Sue, she participates in setting one of the glee club's pianos on fire and is dismissed from New Directions by Mr. Schuester. She returns briefly to the club, and then abandons it for the new, rival McKinley show choir, the Troubletones, run by Shelby Corcoran.
Brittany S. Pierce
Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) is a cheerleader who joins the glee club with Quinn and Santana in the episode "ShowmanceShowmance
"Showmance" is the second episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2009. It was written by series co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan and directed by Murphy. The episode sees the glee club attempt to recruit new...
". Prior to appearing in Glee, Morris was a back-up dancer for Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
. She was originally hired as a choreographer to teach cast members Colfer and Ushkowitz the "Single Ladies
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
"Single Ladies " is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles from her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. It was released by Columbia Records on October 12, 2008 as the album's lead single, and appeared with "If I Were a Boy" as a double A-side single, demonstrating the...
" dance. A week later, she was cast as Brittany. Morris had a recurring role throughout the first season, and was promoted to a series regular for season two. Many of Brittany's lines are unscripted, and are instead devised by Murphy during filming, or improvised by Morris. Morris portrays Brittany as being "literally insane". She is used by the series' writers to say things no other character would, to the point that Morris considers some of her lines nonsensical. Brittany's character traits include finding recipes confusing, cheating off intellectually disabled classmates and not knowing her right hand from her left. She makes her singing debut in the season two episode "Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
", performing three songs—"I'm a Slave 4 U", "Me Against the Music" and "Toxic"—all by Britney Spears. Brittany has a physical relationship with Santana, in which Santana gives Brittany a hickey in the season 2 episode "Duets
Duets (Glee)
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 26th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010...
"; in that episode Brittany also has a brief romance with Artie that leads to a more serious relationship later in the season. She quits the cheerleading squad in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 33rd episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011...
". In the episode "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
", Brittany tells Santana that she loves her far more than she's ever loved anyone else. Jarrett Wieselman of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
compared Morris as Brittany to Lynch as Sue, deeming her "one of the funniest second bananas on TV."
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury (Jayma MaysJayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
) is the school's guidance counselor who has OCD, with obsessions and compulsions primarily focused on contamination and cleanliness. She has romantic feelings for Will. Mays has deemed Emma an "amazing" character to play, explaining: "I don't find that female characters are always written with a lot of depth, but she's so well defined on the page. Sure, she's terrified of germs and in love with a married man, so seeing her as the voice of reason for the kids is amazing." Glee
Vitamin D (Glee)
"Vitamin D" is the sixth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 7, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In the episode, glee club director Will Schuester pits the male and female club members...
". However, when Will is unable to attend a competition with the glee club, Emma volunteers to take them in his place, postponing her own wedding by several hours. Acknowledging her continuing feelings for Will, Ken breaks up with her on their wedding day. Emma submits her resignation as guidance counselor, but as she is leaving the school, Will finds her and stops her with a kiss. She reveals to Will that she is a virgin, but does not go through with her plan to lose her virginity to him. At the end of the first season, she tells Will she has started dating a dentist named Carl Howell, and in the second season her relationship with Carl (John Stamos
John Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
) blossoms to the point that they get married in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in the episode "Special Education
Special Education (Glee)
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 31st episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010...
". It is subsequently revealed in the episode "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
" that her marriage with Carl is facing difficulties and has not been consummated. She admits that she still has feelings for Will, and she and Carl separate; he later requests an annulment of their marriage. She begins to get treatment for her OCD in "Born This Way
Born This Way (Glee)
"Born This Way" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 40th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 26, 2011. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is a tribute to...
".
Noah Puckerman
Noah "Puck" Puckerman (Mark Salling) is Finn's best friend and football teammate, who initially disapproves of Finn joining the glee club. Puck joins Will's all-male a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, the Acafellas, hoping to impress the mothers at the school's PTA meeting, as he prefers older women. He later discovers that he is the father of Quinn's baby. She rejects him when he offers to support her and the baby, calling him a "Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
loser." Later in the same episode, Puck joins the glee club. He briefly dates Rachel and Mercedes, but ruins his chances with Quinn by sexting
Sexting
Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, primarily between mobile phones. The term was first popularized in early 21st century, and is a portmanteau of sex and texting, where the latter is meant in the wide sense of sending a text possibly with...
Santana in her presence. Regardless, Puck attends the birth of his daughter, who he names Beth, and tells Quinn that he loves her. In season two, Puck is sent to juvenile detention for stealing an ATM. The producers engineered his absence from the series to allow a romance to develop between Quinn and new student Sam Evans. Following his return, Puck helps Artie hook up with Brittany, recruits Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Ashley Fink, and has appeared in Glee since the season one episode "Wheels", first broadcast on November 11, 2009. Lauren was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
for glee club, and falls in love with her, but is dumped by her at the beginning of season three.
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester (Jessalyn GilsigJessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
) was Will's wife of 5 years, but they were together 15 years total. Terri briefly believes herself to be pregnant, and pushes Will to take a better paying job as an accountant. She discovers she has actually experienced a hysterical pregnancy, but hides this from Will, afraid he will leave her. After confiding her deception in her sister Kendra, Terri approaches pregnant cheerleader Quinn Fabray, with an interest in her baby. She briefly becomes the school nurse, but is asked to step down after giving the glee club pseudoephedrine tablets
Pseudoephedrine
Pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes. It is used as a nasal/sinus decongestant and stimulant, or as a wakefulness-promoting agent....
. In the episode "Mattress
Mattress (Glee)
"Mattress", also known as "Once Upon a Mattress", is the twelfth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on December 2, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In "Mattress", the glee club is omitted from the...
," Will uncovers Terri's ruse when he discovers her pregnancy pad in a drawer. Terri begins attending therapy, but Will tells her he no longer loves her and leaves her as he falls in love with guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury. Their divorce is finalized late in the first season. Terri manages to seduce a sick and lonely Will in the second-season episode "The Substitute
The Substitute (Glee)
"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010...
", but is re-buffed by her ex-husband as he expresses his need to move on. Near the end of the second season, Terri is recruited by Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
to join Sue's League of Doom to destroy the New Directions glee club directed by Will, but Terri undoes the damage and tells Will that she's been promoted to manager at work, and is being transferred to a new store in Miami. It is unknown whether she will return in season three.
Gilsig has deemed Terri "a woman of conviction", willing to do "whatever it takes" to keep Will from leaving her. She explained that Will and Terri's communication is weak and that Terri is "missing a lot of the skills for the marriage," commenting that Terri feels threatened by Will's commitment to the glee club, worried that it will pull him away from her. Gilsig characterized Terri as emotionally still being in high school, and as of December 2009 did not know how long her character would feature in the series, as she was initially only created as an obstacle to come between Emma and Will.
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester (Matthew MorrisonMatthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) is McKinley High's Spanish teacher who becomes director of the glee club, hoping to restore it to its former glory. Morrison has assessed that the crux of Glee is "about [Will's] passion for music and influencing his kids". Will is married to his high school sweetheart Terri
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
. Believing her to be pregnant, unaware that she is actually experiencing a hysterical pregnancy, he considers leaving the teaching field to become an accountant. He ultimately decides against it, though briefly works after hours at the school as a janitor to earn extra money. His dedication to the glee club wavers when his choreography skills are called into question, but after starting a well-received all-male a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group, the Acafellas, he recommits to the club. After discovering Terri faked her pregnancy, Will ends his marriage and shares a kiss with Emma. He also kisses Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, Rachel Berry's mother (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
). In season 2, with Emma having married Carl Howell, he starts a relationship with Holly Holliday (Gwyneth Paltrow) in the episode "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
". Eventually, Holly gets a job in Cleveland, leaving Will free to pursue Emma after Emma's marriage ends in an annulment. April Rhodes returns and asks for Will's help with her new Broadway project: a one-woman show entitled Crossrhodes, but he ultimately decides that his kids in New Directions are more important than his dreams of Broadway.
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester (Jane LynchJane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
) is the coach of the cheerleading squad called the Cheerios, and the glee club's "arch-nemesis." Lynch states that Sue is "pure evil and doesn't hide it," having been created as a product of Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk's "inner mean girl." With regards to her motivation, Lynch explained: "Sue will do whatever it takes to win. If that means she has to prostitute herself or take advantage of a 16-year-old boy, she'll do it. It's all about power and winning. That's her entire world view." Sue enlists cheerleaders Quinn, Brittany and Santana to help her bring the glee club down from the inside. She has her own spot on the local news, which she uses to editorialize on issues such as support for caning and littering. At the end of the episode "Vitamin D
Vitamin D (Glee)
"Vitamin D" is the sixth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 7, 2009. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Elodie Keene. In the episode, glee club director Will Schuester pits the male and female club members...
", Sue is made co-director of the glee club, but soon scales back her involvement to an advisory role. In the episode "Wheels", Sue allows Becky Jackson, a girl with Down Syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
to join the Cheerios as a replacement for Quinn. It is later revealed that Sue has an older sister, Jean, who herself has Down Syndrome, showing a softer side to her normally abrasive character. Hoping to sabotage the glee club's chances of winning at sectionals
Sectionals
"Sectionals" is the 13th episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on December 9, 2009. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and serves as the mid-season finale for the show's first season. "Sectionals" sees the glee club win...
, Sue gives the club's set list to rival glee club directors Grace Hitchens (Eve) and Dalton Rumba (Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer.In 2011, Hitchcock became a writer and consulting producer for season 3 of the FOX television series Glee, where he had guest starred in season 1 as rival glee club director Dalton Rumba.As an actor, he has...
). When her actions are discovered by Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
), Sue is suspended from the school. She is later reinstated after blackmailing Figgins, and wins her sixth consecutive national cheerleading title. In the season one finale, Sue judges in favor of New Directions at regionals, though they come third to rival clubs Vocal Adrenaline and Aural Intensity, and are disbanded for failing to place. Sue then blackmails Principal Figgins to reinstate the club, giving them another year to prove their worth to the school.
In the second season, Sue is appointed acting principal after having Figgins infected with the flu but she later stands down. Sue arranges to have the cheerleading regionals competition moved to conflict with the football championship, and she forces Quinn, Brittany and Santana to quit glee club, which has to perform the halftime show since the Cheerios will be absent; the three of them ultimately perform with the glee club, resigning from the Cheerios. Missing three of its best cheerleaders, the Cheerios lose regionals after six straight nationals wins. Faking a depression after the loss, Sue joins the glee club for a week; when she can't destroy it from within, she decides to coach one of their rivals, Aural Intensity, to a regionals victory over New Directions, but New Directions emerges victorious. Sue's sister, Jean, dies later in the season, and Sue is devastated and unable to cope; when New Directions helps with funeral arrangements and performs at Jean's funeral, Sue says she's giving up her frequent attempts to destroy the glee club, but she's back to her old ways when school starts in the fall. She also begins a run for a vacant Congressional seat, which she loses to Burt Hummel.
Azimio
Azimio (James Earl, initially credited as "James Earl, III") is a McKinley High football player who was first introduced in the episode "Mash-UpMash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 2009. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene...
," giving Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
grief over being in the glee club. Azimio is one of the school's bullies, and friends with teammate and fellow bully Dave Karofsky. Although he is usually seen harassing members of the glee club, Azimio was the first of the football players in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 33rd episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011...
" to agree to perform in the halftime show the night of the championship game in order to be allowed to play in the second half, saying he wanted to win the game because it would mean so much to his father. Although he has typically been seen in tandem with Karofsky, he has recently been featured on his own, first as part of a "heckling club" organized by Sue to disrupt the glee club's benefit concert in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", during which it is revealed he writes devastating anonymous commentary in NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
and CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
chat rooms, and then as one of Sue's staffers for the school newspaper when she revives The Muckraker in "Rumours
Rumours (Glee)
"Rumours" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 41st overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Tim Hunter, first aired on May 3, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and it features the return of...
" to spread damaging rumors about New Directions members. Karofsky, having given up bullying, confronts Azimio in "Born This Way
Born This Way (Glee)
"Born This Way" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 40th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 26, 2011. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is a tribute to...
" about his own bullying; it's not known whether they are still friends.
Jacob Ben Israel
Jacob Ben Israel (Josh SussmanJosh Sussman
Josh Sussman is an American actor, best known for his role as Hugh Normous in Wizards of Waverly Place and his role as Jacob Ben Israel in Glee.-Biography:Sussman grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey...
) is the editor of the school newspaper. He has been compared in the media to Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
and Gossip Girl. Jacob has a crush on Rachel, who feels uneasy around him but relies on him for positive reviews. Although he attends Celibacy Club meetings, Jacob behaves in a sexually forward manner toward Rachel, threatening to sabotage her musical career unless she shows him her bra, blackmailing her for a pair of her panties in the episode "Throwdown
Throwdown (Glee)
"Throwdown" is the seventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 2009. It was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk...
" and masturbating over video footage of her in "Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
." He briefly joins New Directions in order to fill the membership quota for sectionals, as a temporary replacement for Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
. Although he does not sing in the competition, he remains with the club throughout the remainder of the episode, helping them to listen in on the judges. The season two premiere episode "Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
" opens with a documentary on New Directions, created by Jacob, which was used by the Glee producers to directly address media criticism of the first season.
Sam Evans
Sam Evans (Chord OverstreetChord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
) is a transfer student who joins the football team in season two, though he only appears for that one season. Encouraged by Finn to audition for New Directions, he joins the males of the group in a performance of "Billionaire
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
", the same song with which Overstreet studio tested for Glee. Despite some trepidation about the effect it may have on his social status, Sam eventually joins the glee club. With the connivance of Finn and Rachel, he and Quinn are partnered for, and win, a duet competition within the group, after which their victory dinner turns into a first date; the victory later nets them a lead performance at sectionals During the date, Sam admits to Quinn that he used lemon juice to bleach his hair, after Kurt suspecting he dyed his hair blond. Quinn accepts Sam's promise ring after he jumps in to defend Mike and Artie when they are attacked by Karofsky for telling him to stop harassing Kurt. But later in the season Quinn kisses Finn, and lies to Sam about it; Santana tells Sam, and by the end of "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
", Sam breaks up with Quinn and starts dating Santana, though she soon drops him to fake a relationship with Karofsky. Sam's parents lose their jobs, their house is foreclosed, and the family now lives in a motel room. At some point after going to junior prom together, Sam and Mercedes start to secretly date.
Following Overstreet's casting, media speculation suggested Sam might have been created as a boyfriend for Kurt. Overstreet later confirmed this, but stated that his storyline had been adjusted to pair Sam with Quinn, as a result of the chemistry the producers detected between himself and Agron. Overstreet left the show when his option for being a series regular in season three was not picked up; according to Brad Falchuk, he was instead offered a ten-episode contract. However, Overstreet will return as Sam in a multi-episode arc in season three, beginning with the eighth episode.
Rory Flanagan
Rory Flanagan (Damian McGintyDamian McGinty
Damian McGinty, Jr. is a Northern Irish singer and actor from Derry, Northern Ireland, and was a member of the group Celtic Thunder. He has been performing for the past thirteen years, winning his first music competition before the age of six...
) is a foreign exchange student from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
who is living with Brittany's family. Rory first appeared in the episode of the third season in "Pot o' Gold
Pot o' Gold (Glee)
"Pot o' Gold" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 48th overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by Adam Shankman, the episode was first broadcast on November 1, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
". Brittany was initially convinced that Rory was a magical leprechaun
Leprechaun
A leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
whom only she could see and was there to grant her three wishes. Additionally, Rory is a fan of Finn Hudson, and is persuaded by Finn to join New Directions—he auditions with the song "Take Care of Yourself
Take Care of Yourself
"Take Care Of Yourself" is a song released by the British pop/jazz-funk group Level 42 in 1989. The song was released on the compilation Level Best. It was the last song recorded with guitarist Alan Murphy in the band, who died on October 19, 1989 of AIDS...
" in a performance characterized by Rachel as "magical". Rory looks up to Finn, and tries to defend Finn when Santana insults him, only to get his own share of insults from her. He is given his first lead vocal in a Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
mash-up, singing one verse in a duet with Tina. The character of Rory was created for McGinty after he won a recurring role for seven episodes on Glee as a contestant on The Glee Project
The Glee Project
The Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011...
. The idea of his character interacting with Brittany was first broached in the penultimate episode of The Glee Project, with the judges speculating that Brittany would not be able to understand a word the character said due to his Irish accent.
Becky Jackson
Becky Jackson (Lauren PotterLauren Potter
Lauren Potter is an American actress best known for her role as Becky Jackson on the hit show Glee.-Biography:Lauren was born May 10, 1990 in Inland Empire, California, U.S.A. She is currently 21 years of age...
) is a member of the Cheerios with Down Syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, who becomes a sidekick to Sue. Potter is a member of the Down's Syndrome Association of Los Angeles, and was contacted about auditioning through the association's in-house talent agency, Hearts and Hands. Fourteen actresses auditioned for the role, which Potter deemed "a great experience" to perform. Becky appears in three episodes of the first season, "Wheels", "The Power of Madonna" and "Home" and returns in the second season as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester's "secretary"; she does everything Sue tells her to do, including heckling the glee club in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", though her honest reactions to events have an effect on Sue. Becky is briefly kicked off the cheerleading squad by Sue in "Funeral
Funeral (Glee)
"Funeral" is the twenty-first episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 43rd overall. It first aired May 17, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode featured Jonathan...
" after Sue's sister, who also has Down Syndrome, dies; Becky asks to join the glee club, but she is told that it's too late in the show choir season, though she is offered a spot next year. Sue then apologies to Becky, reinstates her, and tells Becky she'll be captain of the Cheerios in the fall, however, she is made co-captain with Santana Lopez, to her ire.
Dave Karofsky
Dave Karofsky (Max Adler) is introduced as a bully and McKinley High athlete in the episode "Mash-UpMash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 2009. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene...
". He is a member of the hockey team who slushies
Slush (beverage)
A slush is a flavored frozen drink.There are a number of different kinds of slush drinks:* Frozen carbonated beverages, typified by the Slurpee or ICEE, are made by freezing a carbonated drink. These machines are complicated and expensive, and notably require a carbon dioxide supply...
Finn, but by "Theatricality
Theatricality
"Theatricality" is the 20th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode was written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and premiered on the Fox network on May 25, 2010. In "Theatricality", glee club member Tina Cohen-Chang has an identity crisis...
" he's on the football team with his friend and fellow bully Azimio (James Earl); they regularly target members of New Directions. In the episode "Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed (Glee)
"Never Been Kissed" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 28th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Bradley Buecker and premiered on Fox on November 9, 2010. In "Never Been Kissed", the glee club members are assigned a boys...
", written to tackle the issue of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
youth bullying, Karofsky kisses Kurt during an argument. He later warns Kurt not to tell anyone about it, threatening to kill him if he does. He is expelled for his death threat, but allowed to return by the school board as no physical violence was witnessed—and Kurt had not revealed the kiss. He is briefly kicked off the football team with the other non-glee club members in "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
"The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 33rd episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and was broadcast immediately following Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011...
", but they return to perform the championship game's half-time show mashup of "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
/Heads Will Roll" with the club, and ultimately win the game. In the episode "Born This Way
Born This Way (Glee)
"Born This Way" is the eighteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 40th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 26, 2011. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and is a tribute to...
", after being blackmailed by Santana, he issues an apology to Kurt at a group meeting involving their fathers, Principal Figgins and Will. In "Prom Queen
Prom Queen (Glee)
"Prom Queen" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 42nd overall. It aired May 10, 2011 on Fox in the United States. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and featured the return of guest...
", when Karofsky wins prom king and Kurt, shockingly, wins prom queen, the two walk onto the floor for the traditional king and queen dance, but Karofsky is unable to come out as Kurt suggests, and leaves. He next appears in the third season episode "The First Time
The First Time (Glee)
"The First Time" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 49th overall. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by co-executive producer Bradley Buecker, it first aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2011...
". He has transferred to another high school from McKinley for his senior year; he sees Kurt in a gay bar, and tells Kurt he has become a regular there and feels accepted.
Adler had previously questioned his character's motivations, but was surprised by the scene in which Karofsky kisses Kurt. He commented that he was "glad to represent such a large group of people," expanding: "I've gotten so many messages from people all around the world these last couple of days thanking me because either they are Karofsky, they were Karofsky or they know a Karofsky." Show co-creator Ryan Murphy noted that "Glee is by nature optimistic and I think a character like Karofsky could turn to booze or pills or alcohol and kill themselves or do something dark. But I also love Max and I love that character and I sorta want that character to have a happy ending."
Sugar Motta
Sugar Motta (Vanessa LengiesVanessa Lengies
Vanessa Lynne-Marie Lengies is a Canadian actress best known for starring in the drama American Dreams as Roxanne Bojarski...
) is a student at McKinley. Her father is the wealthy owner of a piano business who donates three repossessed pianos to the glee club in "The Purple Piano Project
The Purple Piano Project
"The Purple Piano Project" is the premiere episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 45th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Eric Stoltz, and first aired on September 20, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", the episode in which she first appears. Sugar has self-diagnosed Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
, which she uses to explain why she can say whatever she wants. After the glee club performs in the school cafeteria in the hopes of recruiting new students, Sugar shows up to audition, telling the club that they're terrible but she's awesome and will be their new star. Her audition is a stunningly horrendous rendition of "Big Spender
Big Spender
"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess "girls"; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical and the film...
", and she becomes the first person who fails to get into New Directions after auditioning. In "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", her father makes a huge donation to the school to set up a second glee club that will feature Sugar as the star, and recruits Shelby Corcoran to direct it. When Santana, Britney and Mercedes join, Sugar assumes they'll be her backup singers but Santana openly tells her she's not a good singer, and it's best to stay out of their way.
According to Lengies, Sugar's self-diagnosed Aspergers is part of her character. She also says that Sugar will be back to enact a form of revenge on the glee club, and revealed that it was difficult to sing poorly on purpose, especially with piano accompaniment. Sugar's debut was praised by Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
Matt Zoller Seitz, who said of the new addition to McKinley, "She's awful. She's also an entitled little snot... She's a great character, and I hope we haven't seen the last of her." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
Abby West praised Sugar, and with Sue otherwise occupied hoped to see more of Sugar as "a thorn in the Glee club's side." On the other hand, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
"jeered" Sugar, calling her "an off-key addition to the cast". The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
Todd VanDerWerff concurred, and said of "I Am Unicorn", "Sugar continues to be one of my least favorite new characters in ages". Additionally, TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
named Sugar the eighth worst new TV character of the 2011 season.
Matt Rutherford
Matt Rutherford (Dijon Talton) is a football player who joins New Directions in the episode "Preggers," and appears in the first season of Glee, departing prior to the second season due to transferring schools. Talton has called Matt a typical football player with a talent for singing and dancing, who always wanted to perform but felt forced to choose between performing and being "cool." Talton explained that Finn joining the glee club made it more acceptable for Matt to be honest with himself about what he wanted to do, and that he is becoming more comfortable being in the glee club, "what it stands for, how it makes him feel." Of his characterization, he revealed:Lauren Zizes
Lauren Zizes (Ashley FinkAshley Fink
Ashley Rae Fink is an American actress, known for her role as Lauren Zizes in the television series Glee, and also as Carter McMahon in Huge.-Personal life:...
) is the McKinley High AV club president and a state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practised worldwide. It was contested at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been included in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1908. Two wrestlers are scored for their performance in three two-minute periods, which can...
. During the first season, Kurt tells his father that Lauren's parents had to sue the school district to get Lauren a spot on the wrestling team. Lauren has an acerbic personality and is admired by Puck for being "a bigger bad-ass" than he is. She is overweight and has a love of candy, specifically Cadbury Creme Eggs. Lauren has occasionally been seen dressing in the Goth style and is a fan of the Twilight book series. She joins New Directions in the episode "Special Education
Special Education (Glee)
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 31st episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010...
", enabling the club to meet the member quota for sectionals. Early in her tenure, she claims that show choir is stupid, but on several subsequent occasions she is seen enjoying singing and performing in the background. She performs "I Know What Boys Like", her first solo, in "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
". She campaigns with Puck for prom king and queen, though they both lose, and the two are still a couple at the end of the second season. However, after the glee club finishes twelfth at Nationals, Lauren concludes that being in New Directions is hurting her credibility, so she quits the group and breaks up with Puck at the start of the new school year.
Other McKinley High students
In the season one episode "Ballad", Sarah DrewSarah Drew
Sarah Drew is an American actress. She is known for her role as Hannah Rogers in Everwood and for her role as Dr. April Kepner on Grey's Anatomy .-Personal life:...
makes a guest appearance as Suzy Pepper, a senior with "an insane, absurd, psychotic crush on Mr. Schuester." Drew described Suzy as "kind of stalkerish and creepy", but ultimately redeemable. James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
commented positively on Suzy's characterization, observing that while she appeared to be a "throwaway dorky-girl stereotype", she was "fleshed-out as a person", a feat he doubted the series would have been capable of earlier in the season. In season three, LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker
LaMarcus Tinker is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as teenage football star Dallas Tinker on the NBC and Direct TV television drama Friday Night Lights, and as Kevin on the ABC comedy Cougar Town...
portrays Shane, a new love interest for Mercedes and a "massive linebacker for the McKinley Titans".
The William McKinley Jazz Ensemble frequently accompanies New Directions in their on-screen musical numbers. The student ensemble was introduced in the pilot
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
episode, with Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
a member of that group as well as the glee club. Regular members of the group include a drummer played by John Lock and a bassist played by Scott Henson, both introduced in the pilot; a guitarist played by Spencer Conley, first seen in "Throwdown
Throwdown (Glee)
"Throwdown" is the seventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 2009. It was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk...
"; and a keyboardist played by Mark Nilan Jr., who first appears in "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...
". Other student instrumentalists accompanying New Directions include string and horn players, additional guitarists, keyboard players, and percussionists, and a harpist. The only instrumentalist to receive a co-starring credit is bassist Scott Henson (as "Scott T. Henson, guitarist") for having a line of dialogue in "A Very Glee Christmas
A Very Glee Christmas
"A Very Glee Christmas" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 32nd episode overall. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on Fox on December 7, 2010...
". John Lock is frequently shown waiting for Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
to relinquish the drums to him, and Spencer Conley was featured in amongst the glee club girls in their performance of the "Start Me Up / Livin' on a Prayer" mash-up in "Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed is a 1999 comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Molly Shannon, Leelee Sobieski, John C. Reilly, Jessica Alba, Marley Shelton, James Franco , Giuseppe Andrews, Jeremy Jordan and Garry Marshall...
". None of these instrumentalists have been given character names, and Conley and Nilan have not appeared in any third season episodes.
Shannon Beiste
Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie JonesDot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
) is the new football coach in season two, replacing Ken Tanaka. She comes to William McKinley High with an enviable record of coaching successful football teams, and Principal Figgins boosts the football program budget for her by reducing the cheerleading and glee club budgets, which dismays Sue and Will, and drives them into a temporary alliance against her. Beiste is dismayed by their rudeness, but forgives Will when he apologizes and goes on to develop a friendship with him. She contemplates resigning upon learning that several students have been fantasizing about her in order to curb their arousal while making out. Will has the students apologize and earn her forgiveness. He also learns that Beiste has never been kissed, which leads to him giving her a first kiss. Beiste later helps the glee club members preserve Brittany's continued belief in Santa Claus: disguised as Santa, she explains to Brittany why her wish that Artie be made to walk cannot be granted; later, she anonymously obtains a ReWalk
ReWalk
ReWalk is the first commercially viable upright walking assistance tool, which enables paraplegics to stand, walk, and climb stairs. Designed in Israel, the ReWalk is marketed by Argo Medical Technologies....
to allow Artie to walk for short periods of time. When antagonism flares between the football team's glee and non-glee factions, Beiste forces the football team and glee club to work together for one week; despite encountering resistance and set-backs, the plan is ultimately successful and the team wins the championship game. During the episode "Blame It on the Alcohol
Blame It on the Alcohol
"Blame It on the Alcohol" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the television series Glee, and the 36th overall. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz and first aired in the United States on Fox on February 22, 2011...
", Beiste takes Will out for a fun time at a rodeo bar where she sings her first solo: "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" or "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" is a call and response blues song written by Rudy Toombs and recorded by Amos Milburn in 1953. It is one of several drinking songs recorded by Milburn in the early 1950s that placed in the top ten of the Billboard R&B chart...
".
Shelby Corcoran
Shelby Corcoran (Idina MenzelIdina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
) is the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline during season one, described by Murphy as "a sort of Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
of Network
Network (film)
Network is a 1976 American satirical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about a fictional television network, Union Broadcasting System , and its struggle with poor ratings. The film was written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet...
". She makes out with Will shortly after meeting him, but she resists sleeping with him when he says his divorce is not yet final and that he has just broken up with his new girlfriend, Emma. Fans had lobbied for Menzel to be cast as Rachel's biological mother, due to the strong resemblance between Menzel and Michele. In the episode "Dream On
Dream On (Glee)
"Dream On" is the 19th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 18, 2010. It was directed by Joss Whedon and written by series creator Brad Falchuk. Neil Patrick Harris guest-stars as former glee club star Bryan Ryan...
", it is revealed that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother. She had signed a contract that stated that she could not seek out her daughter until she was eighteen. In the season one finale, "Journey to Regionals", Shelby adopts Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is a former cheerleader at the fictional William McKinley High School in...
and Noah Puckerman's newborn daughter, Beth. She leaves Vocal Adrenaline before the beginning of the next school year.
Shelby returns in the second episode of season three, "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", having been recruited to lead a second glee club at McKinley High by Sugar Motta's father when Sugar is refused entry into New Directions. Shelby offers to include both Quinn and Puck in Beth's life. In "Pot o' Gold
Pot o' Gold (Glee)
"Pot o' Gold" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 48th overall. Written by Ali Adler and directed by Adam Shankman, the episode was first broadcast on November 1, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
", Shelby tells Puck that she is struggling at being a mother; as the episode ends, they kiss. Puck falls in love with her, but Shelby tells him in "Mash Off
Mash Off
"Mash Off" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 50th overall. Written by former season one guest star and consulting producer Michael Hitchcock and directed by Eric Stoltz, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on November 15,...
" that the kiss was a mistake.
Principal Figgins
Principal Figgins (Iqbal ThebaIqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
) is William McKinley High School's "stern but fair" principal. Figgins allows Will to take over the school glee club; however, he insists that the students must place at Regionals in order for the club to continue. He is regularly blackmailed by Sue, first when she uncovers internet footage of him appearing in a support stocking commercial for Mumbai Air, and later when she drugs his drink and takes a compromising photograph of them in bed together. Sue serves as Figgins' replacement when he catches the flu, and succeeds in having him fired. She resigns in the following episode, and he is reinstated.
Although Figgins was initially conceived as White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
, Pakistani American
Pakistani American
A Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
actor Theba was cast in the role. He finds Figgins a challenging character to play, as it entails finding "the right mix of someone who is an authority figure but who is also very insecure about his own strengths as a person." He has stated that Figgins may perform a musical number on the show in the future.
Holly Holliday
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
) is a substitute teacher at McKinley High. Her first appearance was in the second season episode "The Substitute
The Substitute (Glee)
"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 29th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010...
", when she temporarily takes over as the director of the glee club while Will Schuester is out sick. Paltrow's Glee appearance marked her first ever scripted-series guest performance. The role of Holly was created for her by series creator Ryan Murphy, a personal friend who suggested that she showcase her vocal and dancing talent ahead of the December 2010 release of the film Country Strong, in which Paltrow plays a country singer. Holly makes a return appearance in the episode "Sexy
Sexy (Glee)
"Sexy" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 37th overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on March 8, 2011. This episode mainly revolves around the topics of sex and adolescent sexuality...
", this time subbing for McKinley's sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
teacher, in which it is revealed that she attended an all-women's college. In that same episode she also begins a romantic relationship with Will. Holly's third and final appearance that season is in the episode "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", where she sings "Turning Tables
Turning Tables
"Turning Tables" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Adele from her second studio album, 21 . The song was written by Adele and Ryan Tedder and it was produced by Jim Abbiss. The pop song was written in the key of C Minor...
" by Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
in a benefit concert and breaks off her relationship with Will because she knows he is in love with Emma. On March 17, 2011, it was confirmed that Paltrow as Holly would be returning for a series of guest appearances in the show's third season. In the first season, Finn mentions Gwyneth Paltrow having named her child Apple during a discussion with Quinn on suitable baby names.
Sandy Ryerson
Sandy Ryerson (Stephen TobolowskyStephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
) is the former director of the McKinley High glee club. Although he claims to have a girlfriend, Rachel refers to him as a "closet case," and he is fired for his inappropriate sexual behavior towards a male student. Following his firing, he becomes a drug dealer, reselling medical marijuana. When he wants to join Will's band, the Acafellas, they initially reject him for being too "creepy," but change their minds when he tells them that Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
is a friend of his and will attend their next performance if Sandy is in it. While Groban does attend, he does so only to serve Sandy with a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
for constantly sending him inappropriate photos and messages over the internet. Colluding with Sue Sylvester to bring down New Directions, Sandy is appointed the school Arts director. Sandy appears in Rachel's music video for "Run Joey Run
Run Joey Run
"Run Joey Run" is a teenage tragedy song performed by soft rock singer David Geddes. It was a U.S. Top 5 hit which peaked at #4 in the fall of 1975.-Story:The song opens with a female voice pleading with her father:...
," playing her father, and gives Will advice about beating rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. His behavior is often eccentric, including doll collecting, writing fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
about Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, and attempting to create a role for himself as Cleopatra in the school production of Cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
. The casting notice for the role of Sandy read, in part, "He's gay, but covers it ... most of the time. With a pastel sweater thrown over his shoulders, Sandy is the former Glee Club teacher, who is given the axe after an episode of inappropriate touching." Stephen Tobolowsky, who plays Sandy, describes him as a humorous character who "just cannot connect with the normal world" and exists on the "outer boundary of reality." Tim Stack for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
has praised Sandy as "one of the most reliable characters for great lines and laughs." In the first few episodes, it was implied heavily that Sandy was gay. Season two episode "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
" confirmed this, with Sandy characterizing himself as a "predatory gay". He joins Sue Sylvester’s "League of Doom" (codename "The Pink Dagger") in that episode, but ends up donating money to support the school's academic decathlon team, spoiling Sue's plans.
Ken Tanaka
Ken Tanaka (Patrick GallagherPatrick Gallagher (actor)
-Career:Gallagher is best known for his television roles as Det. Joe Finn in Da Vinci's Inquest, the alcohol salesman in Entourage, Leon in The Line, Farhod the Fierce in Pair of Kings, and Ken Tanaka in Glee, and his film roles as Awkward Davies in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World...
) was the head coach of the football team and was previously engaged to Emma.
Gallagher has stated: "I think you understand where Ken comes from as they go on. You understand where the bitterness comes from, and people may start to like him a little. Ken will keep going [after Emma]. Ken will go after what he wants. The one thing Ken won't do is give up." Though Gallagher is Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
-Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, Ken is Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
. Comparing himself to his character, Gallagher detailed: "I'm more like him than I care to admit. I realized I was going for what I like to think as an older version of me from years ago. I think Ken is not happy with where he is in life. I think he's still got a good heart, but there's this insecurity and bitterness piled on top of it. I think love is in Ken's head, and love for me is kind of an idealistic concept. But one thing I really respect about him is that he goes after something: He just doggedly pursues Emma. I wish I was more like that. In some ways, he's a little bit braver than I am. I mean — look at what he wears. That takes guts." Gallagher finds the character interesting, as to play the role he has to face his own "insecurities" and "bitterness". Gallagher feels that he draws much of Ken's characterization from himself, while also "channeling" his high school gym teachers. He commented: "the real challenge is to find the balance between not trying to be too funny, not trying to make it funny, just letting it be funny, and just delivering the line and letting the writing do the work for you."
He did not return for the second season; the new football coach, Shannon Beiste, is played by Dot-Marie Jones
Dot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
. Principal Figgins explains that Ken had a nervous breakdown.
Other McKinley High faculty
John Lloyd YoungJohn Lloyd Young
John Lloyd Mills Young is an American actor and singer. In 2006, he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Frankie Valli in Broadway's Jersey Boys. He is the only American actor to date to have received a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics...
guest stars in the episode "Acafellas" as Henri St. Pierre, "a retired wood shop teacher with an excellent singing voice". Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
appears as Brenda Castle, an alcoholic astronomy teacher and badminton coach who clashes with Sue. Brad Ellis
Brad Ellis
Brad Ellis is an American composer, musical director, orchestrator and jazz pianist. Ellis is perhaps most visible as the quiet teacher/piano accompanist for the high school kids on Glee, the Fox television show for which he is part of creator Ryan Murphy's musical production team.Ellis had a long...
plays Brad, the pianist who accompanies New Directions. Barbara Tarbuck
Barbara Tarbuck
Barbara Tarbuck is an American actress born in 1942 in Detroit, Michigan. She is usually seen interpreting Lady Jane Jacks in General Hospital.-Biography:...
appears in the third season as Nancy Bletheim, a geometry teacher who's been at McKinley High for 42 years, who supports Sue's congressional run. Mary Gillis plays Mrs. Hagberg, who appears in "Prom Queen
Prom Queen (Glee)
"Prom Queen" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 42nd overall. It aired May 10, 2011 on Fox in the United States. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and featured the return of guest...
" teaching home economics, and in "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
" teaching geography.
Sunshine Corazon
Sunshine Corazon (ChariceCharice Pempengco
Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco , popularly known by the mononym Charice, is a Filipino recording artist and actress who rose to popularity through YouTube. Dubbed by Oprah Winfrey as the Most Talented Girl in the World, she released her first international studio album Charice in 2010...
) is a foreign exchange student
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
from the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Rachel invites her to glee club after seeing Sunshine sing along to New Directions' version of "Empire State of Mind
Empire State of Mind
"Empire State of Mind" is a song by American rapper and hip hop artist Jay-Z, featuring vocals and a chorus from R&B and soul singer Alicia Keys. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 by his Roc Nation label in October 2009...
", mistakenly thinking that Sunshine idolized her. After the two competitively sing "Telephone
Telephone (song)
"Telephone" is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was released from her third extended play and second major release The Fame Monster . The song, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, was written by Gaga and Rodney Jerkins...
", however, Rachel is threatened by Sunshine's singing prowess and tricks her into going to a crack house
Crack house
Crack house is a term mainly used in the United States used to describe an old, often abandoned or burnt-out building often in an inner-city neighborhood where drug dealers and drug users buy, sell, produce, and use illegal drugs, including, but not limited to, crack cocaine.In the 1980s, inner...
instead of the auditions. Rachel is found out, and Sunshine eventually does audition, amazing the club with "Listen". Though she is immediately accepted into the club, Sue Sylvester
Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
contacts Dustin Goolsby, the new director of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, who secures permanent U.S. residency and a condominium unit for Sunshine and her mother on the provision that she join his club. Sunshine confesses that she would have loved to stay, but she felt that Rachel would have made her stay a "living hell". In "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", Sunshine appears as a member of Carmel High's academic decathlon team though they lose to the McKinley High team. Sunshine hears of New Direction's fundraising benefit and volunteers as a singer and promises to get her six hundred Twitter followers to attend. Though Rachel is suspicious that she might be a spy, they accept her offer after she sings "All By Myself
All by Myself
"All by Myself" is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975.The verse is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18...
". However, Dustin Goolsby pulls her out of the fundraiser and her followers do not attend. Sunshine reappears in the season two finale "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
". Rachel apologizes to Sunshine and convinces her not to quit Vocal Adrenaline, despite her being their biggest threat. Sunshine subsequently performs the original song "As Long As You're There" with Vocal Adrenaline who place in the top ten.
International pop singer Charice was signed to join the recurring cast, and returned in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
" to help with the glee club's fundraiser for the academic decathlon team, though Vocal Adrenaline director Dustin Goolsby prevented her from performing. She appears with Vocal Adrenaline at the Nationals competition in the season two finale, "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
". Co-creator and executive producer Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
has not ruled out Sunshine returning to New Directions in season three.
Dustin Goolsby
Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne JacksonCheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
) is the director of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline who replaces Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel
Idina Menzel
Idina Kim Menzel is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She is widely known for originating the roles of Maureen in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked.-Early life:...
) when she leaves the post after leading the team to four national championships in a row. Murphy described Dustin as "a complete villain", stating that he will "become very intertwined in Will's life". He is first introduced in the episode "Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
", escorting his new recruit Sunshine Corazon out of William McKinley High School and taking her away from its glee club, having been tipped off about her by Sue Sylvester, and employed the underhanded tactics of offering to sponsor Sunshine's visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
and arranging an apartment for her and her family as payment for her joining Vocal Adrenaline despite her being enrolled at McKinley High. He returns in "A Night of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", joining Sue's "League of Doom" to help her sabotage the McKinley glee club, and returns again at the National show choir competition in the season two finale, "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
", where Vocal Adrenaline comes in second—as is subsequently revealed in the third-season episode "I Am Unicorn
I Am Unicorn
"I Am Unicorn" is the second episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 46th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, and first aired on September 27, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
"—and Goolsby is fired as director for failing to win a fifth national crown.
Jackson was originally considered for the role of Will, and in 2009 was initially cast in the Glee episode "Acafellas
Acafellas
"Acafellas" is the third episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on September 16, 2009. It was directed by John Scott and written by series creator Ryan Murphy...
" as Vocal Adrenaline choreographer Dakota Stanley, but he was unable to perform due to illness.
Grace Hitchens
Grace Hitchens (Eve) is the show choir director of the Jane AddamsJane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
Academy for troubled female youth. She is persuaded by Sue to use songs from New Directions' set list at Sectionals to give her group an edge in the competition. Though she feels guilty after the fact and attempts to inform the judges of her cheating, they have already unanimously chosen New Directions as the winning club. She and rival glee club director Dalton Rumba give Principal Figgins proof that Sue helped them cheat, leading to Sue's suspension. When comparing her character to McKinley High glee club director, Will Schuester, Eve explained: "I come from a harder place. I'm the teacher of a reform school. I'm used to being very strict." Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
had been contacted to appear, but declined, so Eve took her place. Discussing her casting, Eve stated: "I got asked and I'd heard the buzz about the show. When the first pilot episode
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
came out, I figured it was something different and something we haven't seen on TV before. I didn't want to turn it down!" Gerrick D. Kennedy for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
was impressed by Eve's acting and "on-screen charm", and felt that she worked nicely in the "Hairography" episode. In contrast, Bobby Hankinson for the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
was disappointed Houston had not taken the role, and criticized Eve for her lack of personality.
Jesse St. James
Jesse St. James (Jonathan GroffJonathan Groff
Jonathan Drew Groff is an American singer-songwriter, stage, television and film actor. He originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the stage musical Spring Awakening and appeared as Jesse St...
) is the male lead of Vocal Adrenaline and one of the main antagonists of the first season. He is directed to befriend Rachel by Vocal Adrenaline coach Shelby Corcoran, who is secretly her biological mother. Jesse and Rachel begin dating, and he briefly transfers to McKinley High, joining New Directions. Once the truth about Shelby is revealed, however, Jesse transfers back. He ends his relationship with Rachel by egging her in the McKinley High parking lot along with his fellow members of Vocal Adrenaline, humiliating her. In the episode "Prom Queen
Prom Queen (Glee)
"Prom Queen" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 42nd overall. It aired May 10, 2011 on Fox in the United States. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and featured the return of guest...
", he returns, after having flunked out of college, in an attempt to befriend Rachel again, claiming that his biggest regret was choosing Vocal Adrenaline over love. He joins Rachel, Sam and Mercedes, who have teamed up to go do "prom on a budget", at the McKinley junior prom. He sets up a consulting business to help show choirs with their performances; his first client is New Directions. His attempts to resume a relationship with Rachel ultimately fail; she and Finn get back together. But will return in season 3 according to a tweet made by Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
In a controversial essay
Newsweek gay actor controversy
The Newsweek gay actor controversy refers to the reaction to a piece written by Newsweek magazine writer Ramin Setoodeh in which he asserts that openly gay actors are not capable of convincingly playing straight characters...
for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, critic Ramin Setoodeh wrote that Groff, who is openly gay, was unconvincing as the straight Jesse ("he seems more like your average theater queen, a better romantic match for Kurt than Rachel"). Groff's performance was defended by Murphy and guest star Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
, both of whom described Setoodeh's essay as homophobic; it was also condemned by GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios
Jarrett Barrios
Jarrett Tomás Barrios is a politician, activist, and executive, currently serving as the chief executive of the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts. He was a member of both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate and became the first Latino and first openly...
.
Other rival choir personnel
Whit HertfordWhit Hertford
- Biography :His mother, Carol Hertford, raised Whit and his two younger sisters, Chelsea and Brighton in Oak Park, CA. He is the son of the late stage director, Bruce Hertford. He lives in Los Angeles.- Career :...
appears as Dakota Stanley, a glee club choreographer who worked for Vocal Adrenaline early in season one, and was briefly hired by New Directions. Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock
Michael Hitchcock is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer.In 2011, Hitchcock became a writer and consulting producer for season 3 of the FOX television series Glee, where he had guest starred in season 1 as rival glee club director Dalton Rumba.As an actor, he has...
appears as Dalton Rumba, the coach of the Haverbrook Deaf Choir. Senior Dalton Academy Warblers from the second season include Wes (Telly Leung), David (Titus Makin, Jr.), and Thad (Eddy Martin
Eddy Martin
Eddy Martin is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as One Love in the movie Rebound, and as Joaquin in the Nickelodeon original show Just Jordan, which he stars as a friend for Lil' JJ....
), who run the group's meetings. Another Warbler is Nick (Curt Mega), who sings lead for the Warblers in the third season. A new Warbler, Sebastian Smythe, played by Grant Gustin
Grant Gustin
Thomas Grant Gustin , better known as Grant Gustin, is an American theater and television actor from Norfolk, Virginia.-Life and career:He attended the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia for Musical Theatre...
, was introduced in the third season's fifth episode. Sebastian sets his sights on Blaine, and has been likened to Santana in terms of morals and promiscuity.
Kendra Giardi
Kendra Giardi (Jennifer AspenJennifer Aspen
Jennifer Aspen is an American actress best known for her roles as Daphne Jablonsky in Fox's teen drama Party of Five , as Trina Hamilton in ABC's family comedy Rodney and as Kendra Giardi in the first season of the show Glee.-Personal life:Aspen was born in Richmond, Virginia, and resides in Los...
) is Terri Schuester's sister. She and her husband Phil (Michael Loeffelholz) have triplet sons (played by Ethan, Aidan, and Ben Freedman). She influences many of Terri's decisions during her hysterical-turned-fake pregnancy by assisting Terri in her schemes, and predicting disaster whenever Terri contemplates confessing the truth to Will. In the episode "Throwdown
Throwdown (Glee)
"Throwdown" is the seventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 14, 2009. It was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy and written by Brad Falchuk...
", Kendra and Terri bully their obstetrician, Dr. Wu (Kenneth Choi
Kenneth Choi
Kenneth Choi is an American actor. Choi was born in Chicago, Illinois. He originally studied to be an accountant and majored in this at college, but later gave this up to become an actor. He has appeared in a number of films and television series since 1998.-Film:-Television:-Video games:-External...
), into faking an ultrasound to convince Will the baby is real. Entertainment Weeklys Wendy Mitchell deemed Kendra "hilarious" and wished to see more of her, while her colleague at the magazine, Ken Tucker, described Kendra as "a garish cartoon who exists only to further the pregnancy plotting".
Harmony
Harmony (Lindsay PearceLindsay Pearce
Lindsay Pearce is an American singer, actress, and reality TV personality. Pearce is best known for being one of the runners-up on The Glee Project, which gave her a recurring role on the TV show Glee.-Early life:...
) is introduced in "The Purple Piano Project
The Purple Piano Project
"The Purple Piano Project" is the premiere episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 45th overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Eric Stoltz, and first aired on September 20, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
" at an Ohio mixer for future applicants to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYADA), and is one of a group of aspiring students to have been attending monthly since they were freshmen. She has been working in show business since before birth—an ultrasound of her was featured in an episode of Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
. When Rachel and Kurt
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
come to their first NYADA mixer, Harmony sings lead on an extensively choreographed mashup of "Anything Goes
Anything Goes (song)
"Anything Goes" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Anything Goes . Many of the lyrics feature humorous references to various figures of scandal and gossip in Depression Era high society...
" and "Anything You Can Do" from the musicals Anything Goes
Anything Goes
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London...
and Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun may refer to:*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1946 musical play*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1950 film version of the 1946 musical*Annie Get Your Gun , 1946, with Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton...
, which intimidates the two new arrivals. Harmony is portrayed by The Glee Project
The Glee Project
The Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011...
runner-up Pearce, and her debut was met with critical acclaim. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote that hers might be "the best new character ever", and TVLine
TVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
Michael Slezak felt that Harmony was "brilliantly bought to life" by Pearce. Kevin Fallon of The Atlantic said that her introduction bodes well for future Glee Project contestants and that "she brought, which the best new characters do, fresh and exciting aspects in the show's established leads". However, AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com, founded in April 2002, is a website that focuses on the portrayal of lesbian and bisexual women in the media. AfterElton.com, its brother site for gay and bisexual men, was launched in January 2005. The websites were founded by Sarah Warn, who initially served as the editor in...
Christie Keith was more critical of her appearance, and wrote, "Since Lindsay is one of the main reasons I couldn't stand to watch The Glee Project, and no, she can't sing remotely as well as Lea Michele, and none of the boys there was close to being as darling as Kurt, I was forced to suspend disbelief when the whole experience devastated Kurt and Rachel."
Carl Howell
Carl Howell (John StamosJohn Stamos
John Phillip Stamos is an American actor, singer and musician best known for his work in television, especially in his starring role as Jesse Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House. Since the cancellation of that show in 1995, Stamos has appeared in numerous television films and series. From 2006...
) is a dentist, introduced in "Britney/Brittany
Britney/Brittany
"Britney/Brittany" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 24th episode overall. Written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, it premiered on the Fox network on September 28, 2010, and pays tribute to Britney Spears...
" as Emma's boyfriend. As a fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
, Carl volunteers to play Eddie in McKinley High's school production of the musical. He dislikes Emma and Will spending time alone together, aware that Will has feelings for her. In the episode "Special Education
Special Education (Glee)
"Special Education" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 31st episode overall. It was written by series creator Brad Falchuk, directed by Paris Barclay, and aired on Fox in the United States on November 30, 2010...
", Carl and Emma marry in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. However, after Emma naively advocates abstinence to the glee club with a performance of "Afternoon Delight", a song actually about the joys of sex, Carl requests a private couples counseling session with Holly Holliday, the acting sexual education teacher, as his and Emma's marriage hadn't been consummated after four months. Holly forces Emma to admit she is still attracted to Will, leading to Carl walking out and filing for annulment.
Carole Hudson
Carole Hudson (Romy RosemontRomy Rosemont
Romy Rosemont is a television actress who has appeared in multiple TV series, including Shark, Grey's Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Prison Break and Private Practice. She got her break in 2010, playing Carole Hudson in the musical series Glee...
) is Finn's widowed mother and Kurt's stepmother, and wife to Kurt's dad Burt. When Finn was young, she had a relationship with a lawn-care worker who left her for a younger woman. Upon discovering that Quinn is pregnant, she allows her to move in with them when Quinn's parents kick her out. Kurt sets Carole up with his father Burt in an attempt to get closer to Finn. They decide to move in together, until Finn uses a homophobic slur against Kurt and Burt refuses to allow him to stay in his home. Their relationship continues, however, and Carole visits his bedside when Burt suffers a heart attack. James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
felt that Carole's reaction to the news of Quinn's pregnancy demonstrated how far Glee had evolved from the "broadly caricatured show" it was in its early episodes. He commented that in the pilot episode, Carole was "just the slightly pathetic figure we saw pining after the lawn-care guy", however her reaction to Quinn's pregnancy was "a brilliant bit of characterization through small moments", an example of how "Glee is becoming very good at showing how life happens in small exchanges in people's laundry rooms and finished basements."
Rod Remington
Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones) is a television news anchor on the newscast where Sue Sylvester has an opinion segment ("Sue's Corner"). Rod and Sue had a brief relationship shortly after his divorce that began and ended in the episode "Mash-up"; she caught him making out with his co-anchor, Andrea Carmichael (Earlene Davis). Rod and Andrea later marry and announce it during a newscast in the episode "FurtFurt
"Furt" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 30th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Carol Banker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on November 23, 2010...
", humiliating Sue. As a local celebrity, Rod has been tapped to judge show choir competitions—he has appeared as a judge for three of those that New Directions has competed in: the first season's Sectionals competition, and the Regionals competitions for both seasons.
April Rhodes
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
) is a former member of the glee club who never finished high school and ended up hitting rock bottom, as well as Will's high school crush, who never acknowledged his existence. She briefly rejoins the glee club as an adult, during a period of time in which Rachel had left the club and it was in need of a female lead. During her revisit to the school, she gives muscle magazines and alcohol to Kurt, she teaches Mercedes and Tina how to shoplift, and has a brief romance with Puck. April appears once again, at which point she has become the mistress to an elderly tycoon and is the owner/operator of a "cabaret roller rink". Suddenly her boyfriend dies and she is paid $2 million in hush money by the widow not to go to the newspapers. April then decides to buy the glee club their auditorium back, now called The April Rhodes Civic Pavilion, and return to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
to back an all-white version of The Wiz
The Wiz
The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
. The show flops, and she returns in the season 2 episode "Rumours" to get Will's help with her new one-woman show, CrossRhodes.
Robert Bianco for USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote of Chenoweth's guest appearance in "The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken
"The Rhodes Not Taken" is the fifth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 2009 and was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by John Scott...
": "Her presence may not make much sense, but that's probably all right. If it means hearing Chenoweth sing, we can put up with any explanation the show cares to offer." Raymund Flandez for The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
was equally positive regarding Chenoweth's role, praising her "powerful voice", "kittenish mien" and "commanding presence". Eric Goldman for IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
stated that Chenoweth was "terrific" as April, and that the character was a "hysterical creation". The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Denise Martin praised Chenoweth's versatility as April, opining that her performance was worthy of a second Emmy win.
Bryan Ryan
Bryan Ryan (Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
) is Will's high school nemesis. Bryan appears in "Dream On
Dream On (Glee)
"Dream On" is the 19th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 18, 2010. It was directed by Joss Whedon and written by series creator Brad Falchuk. Neil Patrick Harris guest-stars as former glee club star Bryan Ryan...
" as a school board member, out to cut district arts programs and the McKinley High glee club in particular as revenge for the latter giving him false hope back when he was its lead singer. Harris won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series" for his appearance.
Jean Sylvester
Jean Sylvester (Robin Trocki) is Sue SylvesterSue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian...
's older sister. Jean, who has Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, lives in an assisted living
Assisted living
Assisted living residences or assisted living facilities provide supervision or assistance with activities of daily living ; coordination of services by outside health care providers; and monitoring of resident activities to help to ensure their health, safety, and well-being.Assistance may...
facility, and is the only character Sue consistently treats with care and compassion. She is a factor in Sue's decision to admit Becky Jackson—who also has Down syndrome—to the Cheerios. Jean dies near the end of the second season, in the episode "Funeral
Funeral (Glee)
"Funeral" is the twenty-first episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 43rd overall. It first aired May 17, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and was written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode featured Jonathan...
".
Other acquaintances of New Directions
Guest stars have included Victor GarberVictor Garber
Victor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is...
and Debra Monk
Debra Monk
Debra Monk is an American actress, singer, and writer.Monk was born in Middletown, Ohio. She was voted "best personality" by the graduating class at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. She graduated from Frostburg State University in 1963...
as Will's parents. Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
and Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
have appeared as themselves, both separately and acting as judges at the first-season show choir regionals competition. The second season's regionals judges are played by Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Griffin is an American actress, stand-up comedienne, television personality, New York Times best-selling author and an LGBT rights advocate. Griffin first gained recognition for appearances on two episodes of Seinfeld, and then for her supporting role on the NBC sitcom...
and Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
as Tammy Jean Albertson and Sister Mary Constance, respectively. Kent Avenido appears in both seasons as Howard Bamboo, Terri's dyslexic coworker who joins the Acafellas and later Sue's "League of Doom", and Kenneth Choi
Kenneth Choi
Kenneth Choi is an American actor. Choi was born in Chicago, Illinois. He originally studied to be an accountant and majored in this at college, but later gave this up to become an actor. He has appeared in a number of films and television series since 1998.-Film:-Television:-Video games:-External...
plays Dr. Wu, Terri's obstetrician. Earlene Davis plays Andrea Carmichael, Rod Remington's TV news co-anchor who later marries him. Daniel Roebuck
Daniel Roebuck
Daniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...
has appeared twice as Paul Karofsky, father of McKinley High student Dave Karofsky. Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
appears as Sue's "famous Nazi hunter" mother in season two. Kathleen Quinlan
Kathleen Quinlan
Kathleen Denise Quinlan is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated American actress, mostly seen on television and in motion pictures.-Personal life:...
appears as Dr. Shane, a psychiatrist treating Emma Pillsbury. Kari Coleman
Kari Coleman
-Career:Coleman has acted in recent television programs including Julie in Sons & Daughters, Mrs. Deborah Hauser in Veronica Mars, Mrs. Clark in According to Jim, Penny Hadcoate in Judging Amy, Woman in The Tick, Interviewer in Charmed, Mona in ER, Marcy Katz in JAG and Rebecca Wainwright in...
appears as Donna Jackson, Becky Jackson's mother. In the third season, Mike Chang's parents Julia Chang (Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Tomita
Tamlyn Naomi Tomita is an actress, who has appeared in many Hollywood films and television series.-Early life:Tomita was born in Okinawa, the daughter of Shiro and Asako Tomita. Her father then later became a Los Angeles Police Officer, rising to the rank of sergeant. He succumbed to cancer in...
) and Mike Chang, Sr. (Keong Sim
Keong Sim
Keong Sim is an American actor. A Korean American, he is a native to the city of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in English literature graduate of the University of Chicago. He is a comedy mentor of Laughter for a Change, and has acted in numerous television, film and stage productions...
) appear in the season's third episode, and they may be recurring characters. Emma's parents—Rusty and Rose Pillsbury—are also seen in that episode, and are played by Don Most
Don Most
Don Most is an American actor best known for his role as Ralph Malph on the television series Happy Days.-Acting credits:...
and Valerie Mahaffey respectively. Cooter Menkins, a football recruiter played by Eric Bruskotter
Eric Bruskotter
- Career :Bruskotter started acting in the mid-80's appearing in television shows like Mr. Belvedere and Amazing Stories. He gained notoriety when he appeared in the film Can't Buy Me Love in 1987...
, came to McKinley in "The First Time
The First Time (Glee)
"The First Time" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 49th overall. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by co-executive producer Bradley Buecker, it first aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2011...
" to scout football players for Ohio State, and is attracted to Coach Beiste.
Future characters
The winners of The Glee ProjectThe Glee Project
The Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011...
—Damian McGinty, Samuel Larsen, Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell—are each being cast in a recurring role during the third season. Pearce appeared in the first episode, and McGinty appeared starting in the fourth episode as Rory Flanagan, an Irish exchange student, who is living with Brittany's family. As a consequence of this, they are also casting Brittany's mother, though she has not yet appeared. Larsen will make his debut in early 2012 in episode ten or eleven, with Newell appearing later in the season as a member of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Storylines will "include several characters’ parents as the college talk heats up"; Mike Chang's parents have already appeared, and the mother and father of returning club member Sam Evans will be appearing: his father will be played by John Schneider
John Schneider (television actor)
John Richard Schneider III is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Bo Duke in the 1980s American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, and as Jonathan Kent on Smallville, a 2001 television adaptation of Superman.Alongside his acting career, Schneider performed as a...
, and his mother by Tanya Clarke, in what may be a recurring role. Santana's grandmother will also be appearing.
Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem is a Spanish actor. In 2007 he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as sociopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, and has also garnered critical acclaim for roles in films such as Jamón, jamón, Carne trémula, Boca a boca, Los...
and Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway (actress)
Anne Jacqueline Hathaway is an American actress. After several stage roles, she appeared in the 1999 television series Get Real. She played Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries...
were previously confirmed to guest star in the future, Hathaway as Kurt's lesbian aunt. However, Hathaway had still not heard from Ryan Murphy as of August 2011, seven months after he initially announced her forthcoming appearance.