The Price of Glee

I decided to watch this BECAUSE of the 1 star reviews, not in spite of them. The complaints from other reviewers confirmed that I might actually enjoy it. Other reviewers didn't like that they didn't interview the main cast, only interviewing people on the 'periphery'. To me this was a huge positive.

What I DIDN'T want to watch was people saying what they thought they were supposed to say. It was refreshing to get the perspectives of people who didn't have to worry about how what they said may have an influence on future job prospects.

What made this documentary so interesting to me was exploring the effects of fame, particularly in the case of Cory Monteith who had never experienced fame prior to Glee and wasn't prepared for it. The most valuable perspective on Cory's mental state was that given by his former housemate.

Also interesting was a look at the behind-the-scenes dynamics. Once again, if it had been the main cast who had been interviewed, we would have gotten niceties and politeness. However those who were interviewed just laid things out as they saw them. Very refreshing and unexpected documentary.

This review is from a person with a casual interest in the show. I'd watch Glee if it happened to be on TV at the time and there was nothing better on.

It's a pretty big red flag when no one in the cast is involved, which becomes a black mark as things progress.

As The Price of Glee opens, it's not bad - everything's cheery, Glee's future is bright - but then FOX has a hit on its hands, and they put their actors through the grind. The show had a famously grueling work schedule; but boy oh boy, if you didn't already think the industry was a slaughterhouse for young talent, this "documentary" will helpfully remind you at every turn. It's like an E! True Hollywood Story without a conscience, exploiting the tragedies that plagued a network TV show. The way they zeroed in on Naya's grief-stricken dad just made me feel gross. There's real pain behind the scenes of Glee, but don't bother with this.

It's pure trash.

There's no substance here, it's basically just hours of vamping as people who had minimal interaction with the cast members reflect on their limited experience. No new information, the same video clips and photos with different special effects and dramatic music to change the tone... it's all speculation and ultimately draws no meaningful conclusions or lessons for viewers.

Some of the participants flat out admit that their only source for the things they say is social media. If close friends and loved ones aren't participating in the documentary, if the law enforcement handling these cases didn't get involved in the story telling, those are immediate red flags.

Repetitive to the point of nauseating.

This series is frustrating from start to finish - and I couldn't not even finish it. The storyline is hopelessly incoherent, jumping erratically from one topic to another without any clear direction or purpose.

The editing only exacerbates the problem. Transitions are jarring and poorly timed, adding to the sense of confusion. It feels like entire chunks of the story are missing, leaving viewers with more questions than answers. To make matters worse, none of the Glee cast members make an appearance.

In the end, the series tells very little and offers even less in terms of entertainment. Save your time and skip this one.

What an exploitative cash grab. Do not watch this!!!

This "documentary" is a collection of half-truths, hearsay and lies, presented by a bunch of oppotunists. Non of the cast-members of the actual show were involved in this, a lot of them have spoken out against it.

The producers of this should be ashamed of themselves, especially since they had the chance to create an actually interesting documentary.

Focusing on the unrelated deaths of several cast members was absolutely disgusting. The poster alone is terrible: putting Cory and Naya next to Mark and the claiming that their deaths was a result of the show ("the price of glee") is unacceptable.

Again: DO NOT WATCH THIS.