Finn Hudson
Encyclopedia
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
. Glee follows the trials of the New Directions glee club
at the fictional William McKinley High School in the town of Lima, Ohio
. Finn is the star quarterback of his high school football team, and risks alienation from his friends by joining the school’s glee club
. He is a popular jock at the top of the school’s social hierarchy, but when forced to join the glee club, he finds he loves it. His storylines have seen him struggle with his decision to stay in the club, which is at the bottom of the social ladder, while he maintains his popular reputation and the respect of the other jocks. The character must deal with his attraction to both head cheerleader Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
) and glee club star singer Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
), and his storylines increasingly focus on his relationship with them both.
Monteith feels that Finn has had to grow up a lot during his time on the show. The actor said, "Finn started off as the stereotypical dumb jock but as the show has gone on, Finn’s not dumb anymore, really, he’s just a little naïve." Early reviews of Finn from television critics were mixed; Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
said that he and Michele were "both agreeable and a little desperate for an outlet" in the pilot episode. Commenting on the fifth episode of the first season, Eric Goldman of IGN
wrote, "We got to see a bit of a darker side to Finn [...] it's good to see this, because up until now, Finn's been a bit too straight-laced to totally invest in." In the second season's eighth episode, "Furt
", Tim Stack of Entertainment Weekly
noted "It's been a while since we’ve gotten some Finn focus, and I think I just missed Cory Monteith. But I also forgot what a good, natural actor he can be." Monteith as Finn won the 2011 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Actor Comedy, and was nominated in the same category in 2010.
Although he was not a singer before being cast as Finn, Monteith has sung lead or joint lead on a large number of songs on the show, most of which have charted in the US and abroad. "Jessie's Girl
", which Finn performed as a solo, was certified gold in Australia, one of only three singles to do so from the show's releases in that country; he was joint lead on "Don't Stop Believin'
in the pilot episode, the show's first single sung by the glee club, which was certified gold and platinum in Australia and the US.
. He has also been portrayed as a child by Jerry Phillips in "Pilot
" and as a preschooler by Jake Vaughn in the episode "The Substitute
". When Glee was being cast, Monteith's Vancouver agent, Elena Kirschner, submitted a video of him drumming with some pencils and Tupperware containers. Series creator (Ryan Murphy) took notice of the video, but pointed out that he had to be singing, as auditioning actors for Glee with no theatrical experience were required to prove they could sing and dance as well as act. Monteith submitted a second, musical tape, in which he sang "a cheesy, '80s music-video-style version" of REO Speedwagon
's "Can't Fight This Feeling
". He then attended a mass audition in Los Angeles; his vocal skills were considered weak, but he later performed very well with one of Glee casting directors, who said that his audition captured the most elusive quality of Finn's, his "naive, but not stupid sweetness". Monteith said of his casting process, "I was like a lot of kids, looking for something to be interested in. Something to be passionate about. All you need is permission. Not only for Glee, but for anything in life."
In December 2010, Murphy announced that some members of the cast of Glee would be replaced after the end of the third season
in spring 2012, to coincide with their graduation. Murphy said: "Every year we're going to populate a new group. There's nothing more depressing than a high schooler with a bald spot." He added, "I think you have to be true to the fact that here is a group of people who come and go in these teachers' lives." Although Murphy said in July 2011 that Monteith would be one of the actors leaving at the end of the third season, Falchuk later stated that while Monteith, along with Lea Michele
and Chris Colfer
, will graduate at the end of the third season, "because they're graduating doesn't mean they're leaving the show." Falchuk insisted that "it was never our plan or our intention to let them go…. They are not done with the show after this season."
, "I think the harder it is for him, the better, you know? I think Finn has a lot of growing up to do and I think that Finn has a lot of struggle left for him. I think dealing with a lot of his dad stuff, the passing of his father and dealing with the unrequited love all of a sudden from Rachel, I think the more trouble he goes through, the more interesting it is for me as an actor."
Over the course of his run on the series, Finn's primary relationship has been with the glee club's main singer, Rachel. In a meeting with the press at PaleyFest2011, which occurred when the characters were in the middle of a months-long breakup, Monteith commented: "That's a very important central relationship to the show. I think it's important, and I think they're endgame, but I can't be sure of when. I try not to get too attached to the pairing, so I can focus on storyline that does come my way." Falchuk said of the Finn–Rachel relationship ahead of the third season, "We're not interested in breaking them up this year but at the same time the challenge is they are graduating, they are different kinds of people and where does that take you?" During the PaleyFest2011 Glee cast interview, Monteith said, "There are a lot of people who really, really want Finn and Rachel to be together. But at the same time, I think that it's really interesting when they're clearly in love with each other but they're apart. I think it makes for good television." He added, "I think there's a different dynamic to Finn with Quinn and with Rachel, and single."
(Matthew Morrison
). Despite being ostracized by the other football players, including his best friend Puck (Mark Salling), Finn comes to enjoy being in the club. This worries his girlfriend, head cheerleader Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
), so she joins New Directions to keep an eye on him, afraid that lead singer Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele
) interest in Finn may be reciprocated. Quinn discovers that she is pregnant, as she had cheated on Finn with Puck, but tells Finn that the baby is his, though they never actually had intercourse. She subsequently moves in with Finn and his mother Carole (Romy Rosemont
) after her parents find out about her pregnancy and evict her. When Rachel figures out that Puck is the father and informs Finn, he attacks Puck, breaks up with Quinn, and quits the glee club in a fury; but after cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester
(Jane Lynch
) sabotages the glee club's first show choir competition, he is able to set aside his anger and return to lead the club to victory. He and Rachel briefly date, but he ends the relationship to concentrate on his own well-being. By the time Finn realizes that he truly does want to be with Rachel, he is chagrined to discover that she has started dating Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff
), the lead singer of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline. Cheerleader Santana Lopez
(Naya Rivera
) offers to take Finn's virginity to improve her social status and his, and he accepts, but afterward he regrets having done so and claims to Rachel that he did not go through with it; she, in turn, falsely claims to have had sex with Jesse. By the time the club reach the next stage of show choir competitions, Jesse has betrayed Rachel and broken up with her. As Finn and Rachel are about to go onstage, Finn tells her that he loves her; although they lose the competition, they become a couple and continue dating well into the next school year.
Glee club member Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
), who is gay, has a longstanding crush on Finn, and sets up his father Burt
(Mike O'Malley
) with Finn's mother Carole in the hopes of spending more time with him. Finn initially opposes the relationship, worried that his mother will forget about his late father, but relents when Burt tells Finn that he loves Carole, though Kurt is dismayed by the deepening rapport between Finn and Burt. Finn and his mother eventually move in with the Hummels, but when Finn, uncomfortable about rooming with Kurt who he knows has a crush on him but will not admit it, uses a homophobic slur against Kurt during an argument, Burt throws him out. Finn is ashamed, and makes amends by standing up for Kurt when he is victimized by bullies. The following fall, the bullying against Kurt has intensified, but Finn refuses to stand up for him this time, concerned that it may jeopardize his position as quarterback. When their parents marry, Finn uses his best man speech as an opportunity to apologize to Kurt, which begins a brotherly bond between the two. In the spring, the two of them team up to arrange the funeral of Sue Sylvester's sister, Jean (Robin Trocki), when Sue is too upset to do so, after which Sue ends her long-running campaign to destroy the glee club.
At the beginning of the second season, Finn runs afoul of the new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), who briefly kicks him off the team, but he is eventually reinstated, and soon becomes quarterback again. Rachel learns the truth about Finn sleeping with Santana. Hurt, she makes out with Puck to get even with Finn; this betrayal causes Finn to break up with her. The football team clinches a spot in the championship game, but animosity is running high between glee and non-glee members and harming the team's performance. In "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle
", Coach Beiste and Will Schuester force the entire football team to join the glee club for a week to settle their differences and dispel their prejudices. After a promising start, the non-glee members quit the club and are kicked off the team; at the same time, Sue arranges to have the cheerleading Regionals rescheduled to conflict with the football championship to sabotage both Beiste and Will, whose glee club now has to do the halftime show. With the football team down to half strength and the glee club without its cheerleader members, football players Finn and Puck settle their differences; Puck convinces the non-glee football players to perform in the halftime show, which will also get them back on the team, while Finn convinces Quinn, Santana, and Brittany
(Heather Morris) to quit the Cheerios and perform in the halftime show instead. The show is a great success, and the football team wins the championship game.
Emboldened by leading the team to the championship, Finn sets his eyes on a new prize: Quinn, who is in a serious relationship with football player and glee club member Sam Evans
(Chord Overstreet
). After setting up a kissing booth ostensibly to raise money for the glee club, Finn succeeds in kissing Quinn, and they make an assignation. Although Quinn ultimately decides to stay with Sam, he finds out about her cheating on him with Finn, and breaks up with her. Finn and Quinn reunite, campaign together for prom king and queen and go to junior prom together, but Finn is kicked out for fighting with a newly returned Jesse over Rachel, and prom king and queen are won by other students. Finn ultimately breaks up with Quinn again because he realizes how deep his feelings are for Rachel. At Nationals, as the New Directions are about to go on stage, Finn begs Rachel to come back to him, but though she professes her love, she refuses, still torn between her lifelong dream of Broadway stardom and her love for him. At the end of their duet—"Pretending", written by Finn—the audience responds with awkward silence as Rachel and Finn actually kiss; the club consequently fails to place at Nationals. Back in Ohio, Rachel tells Finn she is moving to New York for college and will not be coming back; he reminds her that they have a whole year until graduation and they kiss, renewing their relationship.
In the beginning of the third season, Finn befriends an Irish exchange student, Rory Flanagan (Damian McGinty
). In the episode "Mash-Off," Finn finds himself being bullied by cheerleader Santana Lopez
repeatedly for his weight and singing and dancing skills. After a fake apology pushes him to the edge, Finn reveals Santana's deepest secret-that she is a lesbian
-in a crowded hallway. It is overheard by a girl whose uncle is running against Sue Sylvester
in a congressional campaign, and this information is used against Sue in a television commercial. This is devastating to Santana, who slaps Finn at the end of the episode.
available for digital download
and are also featured in the show's soundtrack album
s. He frequently shares vocal leads with the main female singer, Rachel, as in the pilot episode's closing song, Journey
's "Don't Stop Believin'
, the single of which has sold over a million copies and been certified platinum in the US and Australia.
Like Finn, Monteith was a novice singer when the show started. In an interview with GQ Alex Pappademus, he noted that, early on, "you could hear the Auto-Tune." He was not called on to sing much on the first few episodes, as he rapped in "Push It
" for "Showmance", had a short solo phrase in the song "I Wanna Sex You Up
" in "Acafellas
", and was not featured as a vocal lead in "Preggers". Over the next three episodes, he shares the lead on four group numbers. Three are with Rachel: Queen
's "Somebody to Love
", "No Air
" and "Keep Holding On
". The fourth is a boys-only mash-up of Bon Jovi
's "It's My Life
" with Usher
's "Confessions Part II
", where Finn sings lead on the "It's My Life" sections and Artie on the rest.
Excluding a scene from the pilot of him singing a portion of "Can't Fight This Feeling" in the shower, Finn's first solo songs are not until the show's tenth episode, "Ballad
". Finn sings "I'll Stand By You
" to the unborn child he thinks is his, and later sings "(You're) Having My Baby
" to Quinn, the mother of the child, in front of her parents, who respond by evicting her from the family home. He has two solo numbers later in the season: "Hello, I Love You
" by The Doors
, characterized by Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle
as "one of Finn's best vocal performances to date", and "Jessie's Girl
" by Rick Springfield
; the latter song charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and Ireland, and was certified gold in Australia, one of only three singles from Glee to have received gold certification in that country.
Finn sings lead more frequently in the second half of the first season, as he is featured in over a dozen songs, including several with Rachel. However, in Glee second season, he sings lead in fewer songs than in the first, though he again sings a significant proportion with Rachel, including the duets "Don't Go Breaking My Heart
", "With You I'm Born Again
", "Last Christmas
", and the one ostensibly written by Finn at the end of the season, "Pretending". His first solo performance of the second season, in the episode "Grilled Cheesus
", is R.E.M.
's "Losing My Religion
". Monteith said he and series music producer Adam Anders "had a bit of a different idea" about how the song should be performed. While Anders "always brings the songs in very positive, very upbeat", he felt the song "was expressing a betrayal", and with Finn feeling both betrayal and anger, Monteith wanted his performance to reflect that. Anthony Benigno of the Daily News commented positively on the arrangement of Monteith's song, and graded the performance an "A", but Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
was critical of the arrangement, and said Monteith's performance was "more awkward than inspired." Finn's other solo is "I've Gotta Be Me" in the episode "Born This Way
".
In the episode "Furt
", when Finn's mother marries Kurt's father and the glee club provides music for the wedding, two of the songs are by Bruno Mars: "Marry You
", which is sung by the entire club as a big processional production number, and "Just the Way You Are
", which is sung by Finn to Kurt at the reception. Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
characterized the "two Bruno Mars songs" as "brilliant in execution and touching in sentiment", and Futterman agreed: "the Bruno Mars songs gave the show two of its best performances this season". While Benigno and Stack also praised "Just the Way You Are", and both gave the song an "A", Jen Harper of BuddyTV
thought Monteith's vocals as Finn "aren't the strongest" and AOL TV
Jean Bentley also wished Finn had not been the soloist. In "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle", Finn led his football teammates, some of whom were performing with the glee club under duress, in The Zombies
' "She's Not There". VanDerWerff called it "one of the better numbers of the season", and Futterman felt that Monteith's vocals were a "perfect fit" for the song. Finn's sole duet with Quinn, Fleetwood Mac
's "I Don't Want to Know" from the episode "Rumours
", was given an "A-" by Entertainment Weekly Sandra Gonzalez, and Futterman said it was "better than Quinn and Sam's 'Lucky, which she had called "charming" when it was performed in "Duets
".
Maureen Ryan opined that "Cory Monteith gives quarterback Finn Hudson a jock-ish authority mixed with an appealingly square naivete." Korbi Ghosh of Zap2it
enjoyed Finn's "sweet nature" and observed, "it's clear that at Finn's core, he's a good person." Shawna Malcom of the Los Angeles Times
noted a contradiction in his characterization in the episode "Preggers"—she questioned whether the intelligence he demonstrated in striving for a football scholarship was incongruent in a character who believed he had impregnated Quinn by sharing a hot tub with her.
Goldman welcomed the emergence of Finn's "darker side" as he manipulated Rachel in "The Rhodes Not Taken
", as "up until now, Finn's been a bit too straight-laced to totally invest in". Denise Martin of the Los Angeles Times added, "Did anyone not want to kill Finn for coming on to Rachel to get her to come back to the club? (Yes, the logic was there. He wants to win a scholarship so he can provide for the baby he thinks is his. But a girl's heart is a fragile thing, and like Rachel tells him, he could have just tried being honest.)" In his review of "Ballad
", Goldman commented: "Finn singing 'I'll Stand By You' to the unborn baby he thinks is his was very sweet". He found the scene that followed Finn's revelation of Quinn's pregnancy to her parents the grimmest on Glee to that point. The intense sequence featuring Finn, Kurt and Burt in "Theatricality
" garnered praise for Monteith from James Poniewozik of Time
, who wrote: "One thing I love about his performance, here and throughout Glee, is that he plays Finn as a kid, which of course he still is. He's basically a good kid, but as his 'faggy' outburst shows, he's flawed and often overwhelmed. And while he has little to do during Burt's lecture but react, his reactions are great: he's scared and defensive, but shows Finn's guilt at the same time."
When Finn's mother marries Kurt's father in the second season's eighth episode, "Furt", Stack was pleased to see Finn being featured: "It’s been a while since we’ve gotten some Finn focus, and I think I just missed Cory Monteith. But I also forgot what a good, natural actor he can be." While giving "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" episode a "C" grade, VanDerWerff wrote as an aside, "Let’s pause for a moment to give Cory Monteith some praise, though, since he was asked to do a lot of difficult things in this episode, in regards to selling the idea of Finn as a leader, bringing disparate groups together, and he mostly managed that task, much better than he has in past episodes." While reviewing "Funeral
", the season's penultimate episode, Gonzalez said, "I was glad that the writers chose […] Finn and Kurt to be the ones to connect with Sue because I think they're two of the most genuine characters on the show. […] I think they pulled it off well." In his review of "Funeral", VanDerVerff noted that Finn was not the best vocalist among the male students: "the show hits on something very odd in its DNA: Finn continues to be the male lead of the group because he’s the male lead of the show, less because he’s the best singer New Directions has. [...] But because he’s trying to get better, that’s OK".
At the conclusion of the second season, Poniewozik wrote that he had not found the relationship between Finn and Rachel "the most compelling story" of the season, and as such "didn't enjoy 'New York
' as much as [he] might have", and VanDerWerff commented that their storyline had "ceased being too interesting long ago." However, the former conceded "I may not be that invested in Finn/Rachel, but the startling moment where the audience disappeared in the middle of their kiss made me feel like I was", and the latter opined that their kiss resonated, despite being unoriginal and "too neat way of suggesting that Rachel can't have both Finn and her Broadway dreams".
in the Choice TV: Actor Comedy category for his portrayal of Finn, and was a member of the Glee cast ensemble given the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
. He has also received several nominations in the role, including Teen Choice Awards in 2009 for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male and in 2010 for Choice TV: Comedy Actor, and the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards
ensemble nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the 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...
musical comedy-drama series Glee
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...
. The character is portrayed by actor 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:...
, and has appeared in Glee from its 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...
, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, 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:...
and Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
. Glee follows the trials of the New Directions 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...
at the fictional William McKinley High School in the town of Lima, Ohio
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....
. Finn is the star quarterback of his high school football team, and risks alienation from his friends by joining the school’s 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...
. He is a popular jock at the top of the school’s social hierarchy, but when forced to join the glee club, he finds he loves it. His storylines have seen him struggle with his decision to stay in the club, which is at the bottom of the social ladder, while he maintains his popular reputation and the respect of the other jocks. The character must deal with his attraction to both head cheerleader 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...
(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...
) and glee club star singer Rachel Berry (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...
), and his storylines increasingly focus on his relationship with them both.
Monteith feels that Finn has had to grow up a lot during his time on the show. The actor said, "Finn started off as the stereotypical dumb jock but as the show has gone on, Finn’s not dumb anymore, really, he’s just a little naïve." Early reviews of Finn from television critics were mixed; 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...
said that he and Michele were "both agreeable and a little desperate for an outlet" in the pilot episode. Commenting on the fifth episode of the first season, Eric Goldman of 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...
wrote, "We got to see a bit of a darker side to Finn [...] it's good to see this, because up until now, Finn's been a bit too straight-laced to totally invest in." In the second season's eighth episode, "Furt
Furt
"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...
", Tim Stack of 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...
noted "It's been a while since we’ve gotten some Finn focus, and I think I just missed Cory Monteith. But I also forgot what a good, natural actor he can be." Monteith as Finn won the 2011 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Actor Comedy, and was nominated in the same category in 2010.
Although he was not a singer before being cast as Finn, Monteith has sung lead or joint lead on a large number of songs on the show, most of which have charted in the US and abroad. "Jessie's Girl
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog. The song is about unrequited love, and centers on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend....
", which Finn performed as a solo, was certified gold in Australia, one of only three singles to do so from the show's releases in that country; he was joint lead on "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
in the pilot episode, the show's first single sung by the glee club, which was certified gold and platinum in Australia and the US.
Casting and creation
Finn Hudson is portrayed by 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:...
. He has also been portrayed as a child by Jerry Phillips in "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...
" and as a preschooler by Jake Vaughn in the episode "The Substitute
The Substitute
The Substitute is a 1996 action-crime-thriller film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson, Marc Anthony, William Forsythe, Raymond Cruz, and Luis Guzmán.-Plot:...
". When Glee was being cast, Monteith's Vancouver agent, Elena Kirschner, submitted a video of him drumming with some pencils and Tupperware containers. Series creator (Ryan Murphy) took notice of the video, but pointed out that he had to be singing, as auditioning actors for Glee with no theatrical experience were required to prove they could sing and dance as well as act. Monteith submitted 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....
". He then attended a mass audition in Los Angeles; his vocal skills were considered weak, but he later performed very well with one of Glee casting directors, who said that his audition captured the most elusive quality of Finn's, his "naive, but not stupid sweetness". Monteith said of his casting process, "I was like a lot of kids, looking for something to be interested in. Something to be passionate about. All you need is permission. Not only for Glee, but for anything in life."
In December 2010, Murphy announced that some members of the cast of Glee would be replaced after the end 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 spring 2012, to coincide with their graduation. Murphy said: "Every year we're going to populate a new group. There's nothing more depressing than a high schooler with a bald spot." He added, "I think you have to be true to the fact that here is a group of people who come and go in these teachers' lives." Although Murphy said in July 2011 that Monteith would be one of the actors leaving at the end of the third season, Falchuk later stated that while Monteith, along with 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...
and 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...
, will graduate at the end of the third season, "because they're graduating doesn't mean they're leaving the show." Falchuk insisted that "it was never our plan or our intention to let them go…. They are not done with the show after this season."
Characterization
Finn originated as a character who "walks a fine line between following his dreams and balancing what other people expect of him." Monteith's former acting coach said: "You've got to be incredibly smart to understand how dim Finn can be", though Monteith appreciated the fact that Finn is more than "just a dumb jock". He has admitted that he is sometimes frustrated by Finn's "convenient dumb-guy writing", and commented, "I think every actor wants to be stretched. But it's also important to realize that whatever we're doing works. I realize that this happens to an actor about once every ten lifetimes. To be on a show that's this good, it's rarified air." Finn has matured during his run on the series—in January 2011, Monteith noted that he had "grown up a little bit" and become "a little wiser". He later expanded, "Finn's not dumb anymore, really, he’s just a little naïve. The opposite of me. I love Finn’s optimism. He’s very idealistic; he wants a good girl to love him, and he chases after what he wants in life—that I can relate to." The actor hopes that in time his character will be able to grow and mature more. He said in an interview with MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, "I think the harder it is for him, the better, you know? I think Finn has a lot of growing up to do and I think that Finn has a lot of struggle left for him. I think dealing with a lot of his dad stuff, the passing of his father and dealing with the unrequited love all of a sudden from Rachel, I think the more trouble he goes through, the more interesting it is for me as an actor."
Over the course of his run on the series, Finn's primary relationship has been with the glee club's main singer, Rachel. In a meeting with the press at PaleyFest2011, which occurred when the characters were in the middle of a months-long breakup, Monteith commented: "That's a very important central relationship to the show. I think it's important, and I think they're endgame, but I can't be sure of when. I try not to get too attached to the pairing, so I can focus on storyline that does come my way." Falchuk said of the Finn–Rachel relationship ahead of the third season, "We're not interested in breaking them up this year but at the same time the challenge is they are graduating, they are different kinds of people and where does that take you?" During the PaleyFest2011 Glee cast interview, Monteith said, "There are a lot of people who really, really want Finn and Rachel to be together. But at the same time, I think that it's really interesting when they're clearly in love with each other but they're apart. I think it makes for good television." He added, "I think there's a different dynamic to Finn with Quinn and with Rachel, and single."
Storylines
Finn is introduced as quarterback of the William McKinley High School football team. He is blackmailed into joining the school glee club, New Directions, by its faculty director Will SchuesterWill 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...
). Despite being ostracized by the other football players, including his best friend Puck (Mark Salling), Finn comes to enjoy being in the club. This worries his girlfriend, head cheerleader 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...
(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...
), so she joins New Directions to keep an eye on him, afraid that lead singer Rachel Berry's (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...
) interest in Finn may be reciprocated. Quinn discovers that she is pregnant, as she had cheated on Finn with Puck, but tells Finn that the baby is his, though they never actually had intercourse. She subsequently moves in with Finn and his mother Carole (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...
) after her parents find out about her pregnancy and evict her. When Rachel figures out that Puck is the father and informs Finn, he attacks Puck, breaks up with Quinn, and quits the glee club in a fury; but after 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...
) sabotages the glee club's first show choir competition, he is able to set aside his anger and return to lead the club to victory. He and Rachel briefly date, but he ends the relationship to concentrate on his own well-being. By the time Finn realizes that he truly does want to be with Rachel, he is chagrined to discover that she has started dating 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. Cheerleader Santana Lopez
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...
(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:...
) offers to take Finn's virginity to improve her social status and his, and he accepts, but afterward he regrets having done so and claims to Rachel that he did not go through with it; she, in turn, falsely claims to have had sex with Jesse. By the time the club reach the next stage of show choir competitions, Jesse has betrayed Rachel and broken up with her. As Finn and Rachel are about to go onstage, Finn tells her that he loves her; although they lose the competition, they become a couple and continue dating well into the next school year.
Glee club member 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...
(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...
), who is gay, has a longstanding crush on Finn, and sets up his father Burt
Burt Hummel
Burt Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mike O'Malley, and first appeared on Glee in the fourth episode of the first season, "Preggers". Burt was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(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...
) with Finn's mother Carole in the hopes of spending more time with him. Finn initially opposes the relationship, worried that his mother will forget about his late father, but relents when Burt tells Finn that he loves Carole, though Kurt is dismayed by the deepening rapport between Finn and Burt. Finn and his mother eventually move in with the Hummels, but when Finn, uncomfortable about rooming with Kurt who he knows has a crush on him but will not admit it, uses a homophobic slur against Kurt during an argument, Burt throws him out. Finn is ashamed, and makes amends by standing up for Kurt when he is victimized by bullies. The following fall, the bullying against Kurt has intensified, but Finn refuses to stand up for him this time, concerned that it may jeopardize his position as quarterback. When their parents marry, Finn uses his best man speech as an opportunity to apologize to Kurt, which begins a brotherly bond between the two. In the spring, the two of them team up to arrange the funeral of Sue Sylvester's sister, Jean (Robin Trocki), when Sue is too upset to do so, after which Sue ends her long-running campaign to destroy the glee club.
At the beginning of the second season, Finn runs afoul of the new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), who briefly kicks him off the team, but he is eventually reinstated, and soon becomes quarterback again. Rachel learns the truth about Finn sleeping with Santana. Hurt, she makes out with Puck to get even with Finn; this betrayal causes Finn to break up with her. The football team clinches a spot in the championship game, but animosity is running high between glee and non-glee members and harming the team's performance. 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...
", Coach Beiste and Will Schuester force the entire football team to join the glee club for a week to settle their differences and dispel their prejudices. After a promising start, the non-glee members quit the club and are kicked off the team; at the same time, Sue arranges to have the cheerleading Regionals rescheduled to conflict with the football championship to sabotage both Beiste and Will, whose glee club now has to do the halftime show. With the football team down to half strength and the glee club without its cheerleader members, football players Finn and Puck settle their differences; Puck convinces the non-glee football players to perform in the halftime show, which will also get them back on the team, while Finn convinces Quinn, Santana, and Brittany
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...
(Heather Morris) to quit the Cheerios and perform in the halftime show instead. The show is a great success, and the football team wins the championship game.
Emboldened by leading the team to the championship, Finn sets his eyes on a new prize: Quinn, who is in a serious relationship with football player and glee club member 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:...
). After setting up a kissing booth ostensibly to raise money for the glee club, Finn succeeds in kissing Quinn, and they make an assignation. Although Quinn ultimately decides to stay with Sam, he finds out about her cheating on him with Finn, and breaks up with her. Finn and Quinn reunite, campaign together for prom king and queen and go to junior prom together, but Finn is kicked out for fighting with a newly returned Jesse over Rachel, and prom king and queen are won by other students. Finn ultimately breaks up with Quinn again because he realizes how deep his feelings are for Rachel. At Nationals, as the New Directions are about to go on stage, Finn begs Rachel to come back to him, but though she professes her love, she refuses, still torn between her lifelong dream of Broadway stardom and her love for him. At the end of their duet—"Pretending", written by Finn—the audience responds with awkward silence as Rachel and Finn actually kiss; the club consequently fails to place at Nationals. Back in Ohio, Rachel tells Finn she is moving to New York for college and will not be coming back; he reminds her that they have a whole year until graduation and they kiss, renewing their relationship.
In the beginning of the third season, Finn befriends an Irish exchange student, Rory Flanagan (Damian McGinty
Damian 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...
). In the episode "Mash-Off," Finn finds himself being bullied by cheerleader Santana Lopez
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...
repeatedly for his weight and singing and dancing skills. After a fake apology pushes him to the edge, Finn reveals Santana's deepest secret-that she is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
-in a crowded hallway. It is overheard by a girl whose uncle is running against 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...
in a congressional campaign, and this information is used against Sue in a television commercial. This is devastating to Santana, who slaps Finn at the end of the episode.
Musical performances
As Finn is the most frequent male lead in New Directions numbers, Monteith features in a great many musical performances which have been released as singlesSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and are also featured in the show's soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
s. He frequently shares vocal leads with the main female singer, Rachel, as in the pilot episode's closing song, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
's "Don't Stop Believin'
Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin is a popular song by the American rock band Journey, originally released as a single from their 1981 album Escape, which became a #9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 on its original release. It re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2009 as a result of increased prominence of digital...
, the single of which has sold over a million copies and been certified platinum in the US and Australia.
Like Finn, Monteith was a novice singer when the show started. In an interview with GQ Alex Pappademus, he noted that, early on, "you could hear the Auto-Tune." He was not called on to sing much on the first few episodes, as he rapped in "Push It
Push It (Salt-N-Pepa song)
"Push It" is a song by the group Salt-N-Pepa, released as a single in 1986. It peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987 and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA...
" for "Showmance", had a short solo phrase in the song "I Wanna Sex You Up
I Wanna Sex You Up
"I Wanna Sex You Up" is a hit single for R&B group Color Me Badd in 1991, released as the first single from their debut album C.M.B.. It achieved a huge success in the U.S., UK and New Zealand, where it reached #1 on the charts. It spent four weeks at No...
" in "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...
", and was not featured as a vocal lead in "Preggers". Over the next three episodes, he shares the lead on four group numbers. Three are with Rachel: Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Queen song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...
", "No Air
No Air
"No Air" is a song by American recording artist Jordin Sparks featuring American R&B singer Chris Brown. The song was written by James Fauntleroy II, Eric Griggs, Michael Scala, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas and Steve Russell...
" and "Keep Holding On
Keep Holding On
"Keep Holding On" is a pop rock power ballad song recorded by Avril Lavigne and is the theme song for the film Eragon . It also appears as the last track on Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing which was released on April 17, 2007. Lavigne has described the rest of the album as being upbeat...
". The fourth is a boys-only mash-up of Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
's "It's My Life
It's My Life (Bon Jovi song)
"It's My Life" is Bon Jovi's first single from the album Crush. It was released on May 23, 2000. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Max Martin. The song hit #1 across several countries...
" with Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
's "Confessions Part II
Confessions Part II
"Confessions Part II" is a song by R&B singer Usher, and co-produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Usher's fourth album Confessions. Written by Usher, Dupri and Cox, the song is a confession of a man to his woman about his impregnated mistress, a continuation of "Confessions Part I"...
", where Finn sings lead on the "It's My Life" sections and Artie on the rest.
Excluding a scene from the pilot of him singing a portion of "Can't Fight This Feeling" in the shower, Finn's first solo songs are not until the show's tenth episode, "Ballad
Ballad (Glee)
"Ballad" is the tenth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 18, 2009, and was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk. "Ballad" sees the glee club split into pairs to sing ballads to one another. Rachel is paired with club...
". Finn sings "I'll Stand By You
I'll Stand by You
"I'll Stand by You" is a 1994 song recorded by The Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents. Written by Chrissie Hynde in collaboration with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg , it was the Pretenders' most recent significant hit single, and their last...
" to the unborn child he thinks is his, and later sings "(You're) Having My Baby
(You're) Having My Baby
" Having My Baby" is a song written and recorded by Canadian popular music singer Paul Anka. Recorded as a duet with female vocalist Odia Coates, the song became Anka's first No...
" to Quinn, the mother of the child, in front of her parents, who respond by evicting her from the family home. He has two solo numbers later in the season: "Hello, I Love You
Hello, I Love You
"Hello, I Love You" is a song by The Doors from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun. It was released as a single that same year, reaching number one in the United States and selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone. In Canada, it hit number one as well...
" by The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, characterized by Bobby Hankinson of 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...
as "one of Finn's best vocal performances to date", and "Jessie's Girl
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog. The song is about unrequited love, and centers on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend....
" by Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
; the latter song charted in the top ten in Australia, Canada and Ireland, and was certified gold in Australia, one of only three singles from Glee to have received gold certification in that country.
Finn sings lead more frequently in the second half of the first season, as he is featured in over a dozen songs, including several with Rachel. However, in Glee second season, he sings lead in fewer songs than in the first, though he again sings a significant proportion with Rachel, including the duets "Don't Go Breaking My Heart
Don't Go Breaking My Heart
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a duet by Elton John and Kiki Dee. It was written by Elton John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonym "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche" , and intended as an affectionate pastiche of the Tamla Motown style, notably the various duets recorded by Marvin Gaye and singers...
", "With You I'm Born Again
With You I'm Born Again
"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet single by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, released as a single from the soundtrack of the motion picture, Fast Break. The song was credited as "Billy Preston and Syreeta" and written by Carol Connors & David Shire...
", "Last Christmas
Last Christmas
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo...
", and the one ostensibly written by Finn at the end of the season, "Pretending". His first solo performance of the second season, in the episode "Grilled Cheesus
Grilled Cheesus
"Grilled Cheesus" is the third episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 25th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on the Fox network on October 5, 2010...
", is R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's "Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. The song was released as the first single from the group's 1991 album Out of Time. Based around a mandolin riff, "Losing My Religion" was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering heavy airplay on radio as well as on MTV due...
". Monteith said he and series music producer Adam Anders "had a bit of a different idea" about how the song should be performed. While Anders "always brings the songs in very positive, very upbeat", he felt the song "was expressing a betrayal", and with Finn feeling both betrayal and anger, Monteith wanted his performance to reflect that. Anthony Benigno of the Daily News commented positively on the arrangement of Monteith's song, and graded the performance an "A", but Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
was critical of the arrangement, and said Monteith's performance was "more awkward than inspired." Finn's other solo is "I've Gotta Be Me" 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...
".
In the episode "Furt
Furt
"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...
", when Finn's mother marries Kurt's father and the glee club provides music for the wedding, two of the songs are by Bruno Mars: "Marry You
Marry You
"Marry You" is a song by American recording artist Bruno Mars, released as the fourth single internationally from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Mars wrote the song with his production team The Smeezingtons, who also produced the track. "Marry You" incorporates influences of Reggae...
", which is sung by the entire club as a big processional production number, and "Just the Way You Are
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars song)
"Just the Way You Are" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, and is the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released in the United States on July 20, 2010. It has also received airplay from AOL Radio's New Pop First station. The song was written by...
", which is sung by Finn to Kurt at the reception. Raymund Flandez of 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....
characterized the "two Bruno Mars songs" as "brilliant in execution and touching in sentiment", and Futterman agreed: "the Bruno Mars songs gave the show two of its best performances this season". While Benigno and Stack also praised "Just the Way You Are", and both gave the song an "A", Jen Harper of BuddyTV
BuddyTV
BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
thought Monteith's vocals as Finn "aren't the strongest" and AOL TV
AOL TV
AOL TV was the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display , and the online service that supports it, both of which were launched in June 2000 to compete with WebTV....
Jean Bentley also wished Finn had not been the soloist. In "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle", Finn led his football teammates, some of whom were performing with the glee club under duress, in The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
' "She's Not There". VanDerWerff called it "one of the better numbers of the season", and Futterman felt that Monteith's vocals were a "perfect fit" for the song. Finn's sole duet with Quinn, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "I Don't Want to Know" from the episode "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...
", was given an "A-" by Entertainment Weekly Sandra Gonzalez, and Futterman said it was "better than Quinn and Sam's 'Lucky, which she had called "charming" when it was performed 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...
".
Critical response
The character of Finn has gotten mixed to positive reviews from television critics. VanDerWerff praised the "terrific" cast in the pilot episode, and wrote that Monteith and Michele "are both agreeable and a little desperate for an outlet as the show choir's central two singers". The Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
Maureen Ryan opined that "Cory Monteith gives quarterback Finn Hudson a jock-ish authority mixed with an appealingly square naivete." Korbi Ghosh of Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
enjoyed Finn's "sweet nature" and observed, "it's clear that at Finn's core, he's a good person." Shawna Malcom of 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....
noted a contradiction in his characterization in the episode "Preggers"—she questioned whether the intelligence he demonstrated in striving for a football scholarship was incongruent in a character who believed he had impregnated Quinn by sharing a hot tub with her.
Goldman welcomed the emergence of Finn's "darker side" as he manipulated Rachel 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...
", as "up until now, Finn's been a bit too straight-laced to totally invest in". Denise Martin of the Los Angeles Times added, "Did anyone not want to kill Finn for coming on to Rachel to get her to come back to the club? (Yes, the logic was there. He wants to win a scholarship so he can provide for the baby he thinks is his. But a girl's heart is a fragile thing, and like Rachel tells him, he could have just tried being honest.)" In his review of "Ballad
Ballad (Glee)
"Ballad" is the tenth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 18, 2009, and was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk. "Ballad" sees the glee club split into pairs to sing ballads to one another. Rachel is paired with club...
", Goldman commented: "Finn singing 'I'll Stand By You' to the unborn baby he thinks is his was very sweet". He found the scene that followed Finn's revelation of Quinn's pregnancy to her parents the grimmest on Glee to that point. The intense sequence featuring Finn, Kurt and Burt in "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...
" garnered praise for Monteith from James Poniewozik of Time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
, who wrote: "One thing I love about his performance, here and throughout Glee, is that he plays Finn as a kid, which of course he still is. He's basically a good kid, but as his 'faggy' outburst shows, he's flawed and often overwhelmed. And while he has little to do during Burt's lecture but react, his reactions are great: he's scared and defensive, but shows Finn's guilt at the same time."
When Finn's mother marries Kurt's father in the second season's eighth episode, "Furt", Stack was pleased to see Finn being featured: "It’s been a while since we’ve gotten some Finn focus, and I think I just missed Cory Monteith. But I also forgot what a good, natural actor he can be." While giving "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle" episode a "C" grade, VanDerWerff wrote as an aside, "Let’s pause for a moment to give Cory Monteith some praise, though, since he was asked to do a lot of difficult things in this episode, in regards to selling the idea of Finn as a leader, bringing disparate groups together, and he mostly managed that task, much better than he has in past episodes." While reviewing "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...
", the season's penultimate episode, Gonzalez said, "I was glad that the writers chose […] Finn and Kurt to be the ones to connect with Sue because I think they're two of the most genuine characters on the show. […] I think they pulled it off well." In his review of "Funeral", VanDerVerff noted that Finn was not the best vocalist among the male students: "the show hits on something very odd in its DNA: Finn continues to be the male lead of the group because he’s the male lead of the show, less because he’s the best singer New Directions has. [...] But because he’s trying to get better, that’s OK".
At the conclusion of the second season, Poniewozik wrote that he had not found the relationship between Finn and Rachel "the most compelling story" of the season, and as such "didn't enjoy '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...
' as much as [he] might have", and VanDerWerff commented that their storyline had "ceased being too interesting long ago." However, the former conceded "I may not be that invested in Finn/Rachel, but the startling moment where the audience disappeared in the middle of their kiss made me feel like I was", and the latter opined that their kiss resonated, despite being unoriginal and "too neat way of suggesting that Rachel can't have both Finn and her Broadway dreams".
Accolades
Monteith won the 2011 Teen Choice AwardTeen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
in the Choice TV: Actor Comedy category for his portrayal of Finn, and was a member of the Glee cast ensemble given the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
----Best Cast - Motion Picture: Inglourious Basterds----Best Cast - Drama Series: Mad Men Best Cast - Comedy Series: Glee ...
. He has also received several nominations in the role, including Teen Choice Awards in 2009 for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male and in 2010 for Choice TV: Comedy Actor, and the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards
17th Screen Actors Guild Awards
----Best Cast - Motion Picture: The King's Speech----Best Cast - Drama Series: Boardwalk Empire----Best Cast - Comedy Series: Modern Family...
ensemble nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
External links
- Finn Hudson at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox 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...