Shocking Secrets Revealed: The 16-Year-Old TV Show Infamous for Backstage Drama!

In 2006, viewers were first introduced to the New Directions and their passionate teacher, Will Schuester, on Prime Video. Now, you have one last chance to relive their adventures on screen.

The iconic musical series co-created by Ryan Murphy is set to leave the catalog on October 4th. This means you have just two weeks to catch up on the 6 seasons and enjoy some karaoke sessions. Over 121 episodes, Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn and the other members of the Glee Club performed hundreds of songs…

Despite some memorable performances – the most famous being their rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” – the series is also infamous for the wrong reasons. Some people even consider it “cursed”. This subject is explored in the documentary The Price of Glee, released last year and available on the Max platform.

A Series Mourned

Glee tells the story of a high school choir in America that brings together both outcasts and the most popular teenagers, united by music and the trials of youth. While the Glee Club welcomed new members between the first and last seasons, the core stayed the same. Tragically, three of the series’ main actors lost their lives between 2013 and 2020.

In July 2013, the media reported the death of Cory Monteith (Finn), Glee’s co-star alongside Lea Michele, his real-life partner. Monteith, who had a drug addiction, died of an alcohol and heroin overdose. Despite a stint in rehab a few years earlier, he was unable to overcome his addiction.

Two years later, actor Mark Salling found himself in a scandal. The actor, who played rocker Puck, was arrested for possession of child pornography: 500,000 photos and 600 videos of young children were found on his computer. Salling pled guilty in court and was found hanged in his home in 2018, two months before his sentencing.

In 2020, five years after the end of the series, tragedy struck again when fans learned of the death of Naya Rivera, who played fiery Santana. She tragically drowned in a lake near Los Angeles while trying to save her son…

Five other members of the production team also died during the filming of the series, two of them by suicide.

A Toxic Set

According to some accounts in the series’ behind-the-scenes documentary, working with the Glee actors was like navigating a schoolyard. Aside from the intense work pace, which the actors found too much, the crew also had to deal with the egos of the cast. Naya Rivera and Lea Michele made no secret of their disagreements on set.

The drama escalated after the series ended. In 2020, amid protests and demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, many Hollywood stars, including Rachel’s portrayer, spoke out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Her stance was criticized by former co-star Samantha Ware, who accused Michele of “micro-aggressions of racism” during the filming of the series.

Ware received support from the rest of the cast, who also reported constant harassment. This led the Broadway singer to publicly apologize on social media.

She revisited this incident in a 2022 interview with the New York Times: “I work very hard. I leave nothing to chance. This level of perfectionism, and the pressure that comes with it, has led me to make mistakes”. Quite an understatement…

Finally, actress Melissa Benoist, who joined the series in season 4 alongside her future husband Blake Jenner, accused him of domestic violence.

Glee leaves Prime Video on October 4th.