I'm talking about the television show.
Glee ran for six years on the network Fox and, in that time, it had significant highs and lows that remind me of a relationship that starts out amazing but, ultimately, ends in heartbreak and tears.
Described as a 'comedy', Glee started out that way with hilarious characters and crazy storylines.
I'm pretty sure I heard it described as 'High School Musical' as a TV show at one point.
The first episode aired on May 19th 2009 in America.
I, however, did not see it for almost eight months later.
Glee began airing in the UK on Monday 11th January 2010 and its first episode drew 1.3 million viewers to the channel E4.
I actually remember watching it very clearly. I had just turned 14 the week before and I'd been hearing about this new show about teenagers in high school who worked all their problems out through singing and it had been advertised on TV for weeks before. The pilot is funny to watch now. It really was a show founded in comedy and the fact that nothing similar had ever been done in terms of a television programme with singing and dancing every week really helped increase the show's popularity.
It also touched on important issues such as bullying, homophobia, eating disorders, transexuality and its overall message was that you are perfect, just as you are.
I think that's one of the largest reasons as to why it became the phenomenon it did in its early years.
Glee was for all the nerds, losers, wannabe's, dreamers, outcasts. It didn't matter if you were overweight, slim, weird, loud, struggling... Whoever you were, you could lose yourself in a forty minute episode of Glee and the world was a little easier to deal with for a while.
Personally. I was a struggling kid. I never showed it and I still rarely do now (my grandmother's a big believer in putting on a brave face whatever things are going on inside your head) but, for each forty minute episode, I could sing my heart out.
It helped. The Glee fandom, when I eventually found it on tumblr, was welcoming and a happy. safe place.
You could be whoever you wanted in that fandom and it didn't matter because they accepted you.
It even had a live tour!
I was 15 and didn't know anyone who liked Glee so I couldn't go but I bought the DVD when it came out.
Seeing your favourite actors sing your favourite hits of the show was incredible and I still lose myself whenever I watch that DVD.
By this point, the show was starting its third season in the fall and my favourite character had moved on from being Rachel Berry to Blaine Anderson.
Darren Criss auditioned for the show three times and it was third time lucky for the future Warbler.
With a dapper haircut and a uniquely brilliant audition, Blaine Anderson was born.
Darren was given a six-episode arc as Kurt Hummel's (a fan-favourite gay character played by Chris Colfer, now a famous childrens' author) mentor.
Blaine was a proud, gay, preppy teenage boy at a private all-boys school in Westerville, Ohio and everyone fell for his prince-like good looks and charming personality. If that wasn't enough, he sang like a dream and had a pure heart which was shown when he, fearlessly, defended Kurt against school bully Dave Karofsky who ended up sexually assaulting Kurt with a kiss in the locker room due to his own closeted homosexuality and, general, asshole demeanor.
Blaine, and Darren, quickly became a beloved character and he was promoted to season regular within a matter of episodes. His first song on the show, 'Teenage Dream' actually got to number 1 on the Billboard Top 100. That's higher than Katy Perry's version and higher than any other Glee song ever got ('Don't Stop Believing' got to number 2, I believe).
With the overwhelming success of Blaine and the Dalton Academy Warblers, Ryan was quick to capitalize on them and they brought out their own album and were invited to accompany the New Directions on the Glee Live Tour in 2011.
The young love between Kurt and Blaine (Klaine) was even voted the Greatest TV Couple of All Time in 2013.
Since then, the Klaine fandom has hardly diminished.
Klaine will, forever, be my favourite television couple.
Not because they were a gay couple or because they were played by gorgeous, talented actors (both true points) but because the love between them was so real and selfless.
Throughout the years, the writers put them (and us Klaine fans) through everything from an awful breakup that we still think was the biggest waste of time the show ever did (minus the second one in season 6) because it made no sense to their wedding day in the final season.
We saw them grow and change and learn from each other in every conceivable way and it was a beautiful relationship.
Darren and Chris were the perfect people to play the characters and, while speculation about their real-life relationship status flittered over them throughout the years, you couldn't deny their chemistry on and off screen was enviable.
But I didn't write this because I love Darren, Chris and Klaine.
Last year, the final episode of Glee aired and I was in tears the Saturday morning afterwards as I watched it. I even took the next week off of work so I would have time to grieve properly (I also needed a break. Working at that place was not fun 90% of the time).
The thing is that (and I know every popular kid at my high school would mock me for this even now), Glee ending was like saying 'Goodbye' to my younger self.
I know that doesn't make much sense but I first started watching Glee when I was a weird, 14 year old kid who just wanted to sing and make people happy and it was ending when I was a 19 year old teenager who had no idea where her life was going or what she wanted to do.
I felt sad because I was going to miss seeing Blaine every week and even secondary characters I hadn't originally loved but grew to in the end but I also felt sad that I hadn't done anything my younger self had dreamed of.
She wanted to move out at 17, after high school, go to college and university and make something of her life but, due to a difficult couple of years at the end of high school, I hadn't gotten the grades necessary so I wasn't there. She wanted to move far away and start fresh. I still haven't done that.
So I was hit with a thousand emotions at once.
Glee wasn't perfect and it deteriorated in terms of the writing and the outlandish storylines that each actor took to with grace and as much professionalism as possible but its overall message still remains:
"Being a part of something special doesn't make you special; something is special because you are a part of it."You choose your own path - everyone else's opinions don't choose it for you.
I couldn't finish this post without mentioning Cory.
Cory Monteith played Finn Hudson for four season of Glee but he, sadly, passed away on Saturday July 13th 2013.
He struggled with addiction since the age of 19 and, despite his hardest efforts, our hero wasn't strong enough to defeat these demons.
We had him for four years and, in that time, he warmed every single person whose life he touched's heart.
Cory was a brave man who raised awareness for charities close to his heart, was kind to every fan he met and loved with his entire soul.
My admiration and respect for this man will never be diminished and he lives on in all of our hearts.
So this year without Glee has been an interesting one.
Many of the people in the fandom have moved on to other shows (I'm obsessed with How To Get Away With Murder and two superhero shows which star former Glee actors Melissa Benoist (Marley Rose in Glee) and Grant Gustin (Sebastian Smythe in Glee) in Supergirl and The Flash)) and passions.
I have two close friends out of this fandom and the Glee world is something I will always treasure as it reminds me of the girl I used to be once upon a time.
Whatever your opinion of the show now and what it became, you can't deny that it helped a lot of people with self-acceptance and learning to chase their dreams.
So thank you for your legacy, Glee.
Thank you for inspiring me.
And thank you for showing that being a 'loser' isn't a bad thing.
Jessica
xoxo
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