The Price of Glee: What to Expect

Glee was one of Fox’s most iconic musical hits, yet many of the show’s young stars passed away IN unfortunate circumstances

A three-part limited series called “The price of Glee” has been announced, discussing the events that caused the three deceased actors’ deaths. Investigation Discovery is producing it.

The trailer includes an image of the memorial for Cory Monteith, who died at 31 from a drug overdose in 2013, and then a photo of Mark Salling, who died by suicide in 2018. Scenes of Lake Piru, where Naya Rivera drowned at 33 in 2020 also feature.

The series will apparently focus on the themes of fame and media and how it would affect the young stars that achieved fame through Glee. The new show is set to air on January 16; you can watch the trailer here.

If anything, the trailer’s quality seems to be the only redeeming feature of the upcoming series. As one Redditor commented, the trailer looks like a badly-edited YouTube video. Fans also weren’t pleased with the exploitation of the deceased actors, especially considering how no one actually involved in Glee is participating in the documentary, or at least anyone who has been confirmed. The only related person to appear in the trailer was Naya Rivera’s father, George Rivera, who appears and says “Fame can be poisonous.” 

“Exploitative as hell. Allow Naya and Cory’s souls to rest peacefully and respect their loved ones,” a comment that nails the audience’s sentiment accurately. The show ended long after Naya passed away, and even after she published her memoir “Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up” where she put most of the Glee drama behind her and focused on raising her child.

@ The Price of Glee

The trailer heavily hints towards a true crime approach to the cast member’s deaths, and appeals towards the audience believing every celebrity death is part of a conspiracy. In this case, it’s giving “The Glee curse” vibes. While Glee became a cultural phenomenon, its show and cast had endless controversies, many of which we’ve yet to fully unveil, and perhaps never will.

The Price of Glee promises to give a comprehensive look into all the drama surrounding the how, and look into it with “unbiased filters”. The interviewees include people close to Monteith, who will disclose his issues with substance abuse, and Naya Rivera’s family members. It’ll also feature interviews with Salling’s coworkers.

The deaths of the Glee cast members, all of which were before their time, are nothing more than a tragedy. And, while it’s too early to criticize the docuseries without watching it fully, the trailer hints more at milking the deaths of the actors rather than providing insight into the perils of young fame.