Ryan Murphy Reveals Script for 'Glee' Revival Amid Fan Concerns Over Show's Tragic Past

Showrunner Ryan Murphy has announced the completion of a script for a potential revival of the musical comedy-drama series "Glee." Murphy confirmed the news on the red carpet at an "American Horror Story" event, stating he had finished the script an hour prior.

"Brad [Falchuk], Ian [Brennan] and I, who wrote all the first two seasons, have written something," Murphy told Entertainment Tonight. He also indicated that he has been in contact with approximately ten original cast members, who have expressed enthusiasm for the idea.

However, the prospect of a "Glee" revival has been met with apprehension by some fans, often referred to as "Gleeks." This concern is largely attributed to the series' history of tragic cast deaths, a phenomenon sometimes called the "Glee curse." Three main stars of the show died within a seven-year span: Cory Monteith, who died of an accidental overdose in 2013 at age 31; Mark Salling, who died by suicide in 2018 at age 35; and Naya Rivera, who died in an accidental drowning in 2020 at age 33.

Fans on platforms like the /r/glee subreddit have voiced their reservations. Comments such as "someone stop this man. we don't need anymore glee it's too much a product of its time/cast" reflect a sentiment that the show may be best left in the past or reimagined with a new cast.

Actor Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams on "Glee," has publicly condemned fan theories surrounding the cast deaths. McHale forcefully criticized those who refer to the deaths as a "sacrifice" or a "curse," calling such discussions "diabolical and untethered from any sort of humanity or reality."

McHale, who was close to Monteith and deeply mourned Rivera, has previously acknowledged that cast members made jokes about a "curse" as a coping mechanism for difficult events. "We make jokes about a curse, which makes a lot of people uncomfortable," he said in 2024. "The amount of times we've said some things that everyone gets really quiet, we're like, 'No no, you [don’t] understand, if we don't laugh about this we will all just be sad.'"

Murphy stated that the script is still in its early stages, and no cast members have read it yet. He expressed a desire to share it with the cast first, given their close bond during the show's production from 2009 to 2015.

The idea of a "Glee curse" has also been explored in the 2023 documentary "The Price of Glee," which detailed the deaths of several crew members in addition to the main cast. These included second team lead Jim Fuller, prop guy Paul, lead stand-in Mark Watson, production assistant Nancy Motes, and rigging gaffer J.A. Byerly's brother and colleague.

McHale, however, attributes these occurrences to unfortunate coincidences and the natural course of life for a large cast and crew. "It's a big cast of a lot of young people and things happen," he explained. "I think things happen on other shows as well and you're working with crew members and things happen to crew members, you're not necessarily hearing about that. But I just think a lot of unfortunate really horrible accidents do happen."

Momentarily, the script's completion marks a significant step towards a potential "Glee" revival, though its actual production remains uncertain and subject to further development and cast participation.