#artie abrams meta

[mymanyfandomramblings]

Best Season For Each Glee Character (In My Opinion) And Their Best Episode In Said Season

Note: I'm picking which episode in the season I picked is their best, not overall

Rachel: Season One. Early Rachel is truly one of THE characters of all times, and she's hilarious, and I think they had the formula down the best for her insanity. Best Episode: Either Pilot or Bad Reputation

Finn: Also Season One. I love his arc in the first season, and you get such a good feeling for his character, and you get such a good feel for both his strengths and weaknesses. The other three seasons he's in are also good for him, and he has one of the most consistent arcs and developments, but he's making less Horrible Decisions in Season One. Best Episode: Ballad (no questions asked)--

Kurt: Season Two. Yes, he suffers in Season Two, but he also meets Blaine, and he gets actual storylines that are seperate from Rachel's, and aren't just reducing him to his sexuality or his ability to deliver cutting remarks. Best Episode: Grilled Cheesus, Never Been Kissed or Born This Way

Mercedes: This is rare but Season Five is truly the season where Mercedes shines brightest. She gets to be more than Rachel's competition for solos for the first time, and they actually take time to explore the way her faith informs her decisions. She truly feels like such a realized character in S5. Best Episode: Tested

Santana: Season 2 or 4. Season Two because she's living her best evil life, as well as having some chances to really show her vulnerable side, Season Four, because she's actually being a pretty nice person most of the time, albeit in the most chaotic way possible. I could do a whole analysis of why those are her best seasons, but this is not the time. Best Episodes: Silly Love Songs or Sexy (S2), Girls (And Boys) On Film or Feud (S4)

Quinn: Season One. They seemed to have gotten the right balance here of Quinn being character who suffers a lot, but is also not a very nice person in Season One, and they are never quite able to regain that again. My second pick would actually be Season Three, where she gets to have a lot of good conversations and growth. Best Episode: Throwdown or (what else) Funk

Puck: Season Two. Two words: Lauren Zizes. Also they seemed to have actually figured out what they wanted to do with him in that season. Like Quinn, Season Three was going to be my second pick for him, because I really like his arc in Choke, but alas, the Puck x Shelby thing drags S3 down for him. Best Episode: Never Been Kissed or Original Song

Tina: Season Three or Five. She gets a fair bit to do in Season Three--she's in quite a few songs, and she isn't yet at corruption-arc status, although she's no longer dressing goth, which is a shame. That said, Season Five is also a fun season for her--she's past the worst of her villain arc, and she gets to participate in the stupidity that is Blamtina. Best Episodes: Hold Onto Sixteen or Props (S3) and Trio (S5)

Artie: Season One. He gets some storylines in S1 which aren't just him fumbling girls (and as Artie's no.1 fan, I am here for him getting storylines), and they hadn't completely flanderized his occasional sexist comments into his whole personality yet. Best Episode: Dream On, by a mile.

Brittany: I'm conflicted here. Season One was the only season where she was written with any consistency, however she barely does anything in S1, so it seems unfair. However, she does have some great moments in Season Two. Best Episode: Sexy or Britney/Brittany

Mike: Season Three. He actually gets things to do in Season Three. Best Episode: Asian 'F' (surprisingly)

Sam: Season Two. It took a moment, but once they figured out what to do with Sam Evans, he truly became one of The characters of Glee. Season Three is also good, but he's out-of-focus a lot Best Episode: Rumours

Blaine: Season Four. I know everyone loves Dalton era!Blaine, but I don't care about the Warblers, and although I do like Klaine, I honestly think that it was so good to see Blaine minus Kurt for a season or so, because previously, it had been so obvious that he was a Designated Love Interest character, and Season Four was so important in developing his personality outside of Kurt. Best Episode: Dynamic Duets

[satellitesunset]

There are three characters on Glee who are REALLY constructed around their relationship to masculinity… Other characters get arcs around it, but there are three where it is a very central arc.

One is Spencer, whose story there is VERY explicitly a queer story. He outright talks about needing to be more masculine than anyone else so that people don’t write him off as “the gay one”… I really wish the show had given him more than two conversations about this. And I also get why the show drew his arc against Kurt specifically, but there are other characters who would have made more sense to connect with him… If Sam were canonically queer, maybe him, but I also think there’d have been something interesting in explicitly drawing Spencer against KAROFSKY in S6. If the show had been better about following through its themes.

One is Artie, whose story is about building an identity both incorporating and aside from his disability… I have issues with how the show portrays Artie’s relationship with his body and his masculinity, but I also think that the surface reading there — the disability one — makes enough sense on its own that I don’t think it NEEDS to be queered specifically… HOWEVER, there are certainly facets of my own queerness that I see in Artie, and I am on-board with queer readings of Artie’s arc here…

And then there’s Sam, and I just really feel like a queer reading of Sam’s body image, masculinity, and popularity stuff… It just makes too much sense to me to ignore. It’s not just about the internal stuff in Sam’s character, either… But it’s about who that character is drawn up against in those arcs… In Season 2, Sam’s drawn against Finn, and to a lesser extent Karofsky… In Season 3, it’s against Blaine and Shane…. In Season 4 and 5, he doesn’t really have a foil, but his body image and masculinity stuff is specifically drawn against Artie… but also tied into Blaine… Sam finds himself drawn into self-discovery arcs around every queer major character in the show, pretty much. He dates Santana and Brittany (… and Quinn)… he’s best friends with Blaine… there’s both Duets and Rumours with Kurt… He gets significant screentime with Spencer… He’s Kurt’s biggest defender against Karofsky…

the reply is a bit late, but there are so many great ideas that i wanted to articulate my response properly.

Spencer

Spencer, out of all the s6 newbies, is the biggest lost potential, because as you mentioned, from how Kurt and him, dare I say are opposite halves of the same coin, to how both he and Sam had to prove their own masculinity, but most importantly how his story is parallel to that of David's.

You have Spencer who, despite his surface acceptance of his sexuality, still has a lot of internalized homophobia, ( I rewatched some of his sense, and the line "we have nothing in common", stood out to me, because it reflects how he never sees himself fitting in with the community) and how interacting with David, a gay jock who has also gone through internalized homophobia, could clear up his insecurities.

Artie

Artie, unintentionally, is a very queer-coded character, he makes a lot of' jokes' about finding men/guys attractive (the writer's biophobia is showing), I don't think I'm qualified to expand on how he, as a disabled guy has to prove his own masculinity but another line that pops in my mind is in s3 ep5 the first time (my beloathed) when he talks about hooking up with Brittany, made he feel like a 'real man', which just further proves my point (toxic masculinity yay)

Sam

there's so much to unpack with Sam, what you said is so on point,

A lot of Sam's arcs are inherently queer, no denying that from how he's established to how he evolves, from s2 this well-meaning insecure jock who's going through the conflict of popularity serving as a parallel between him and Finn in S2, and I know from experience how going to a same-sex school influences how you view your identity, like it fucks you up, then into s3, from being a stripper AGE 16!! and feeling like being popular is the only way to get the girl, and how did having dyslexia make him feel lesser and like his worth lies only on his body, especially with, as you mentioned, being pitied against Shane and Blaine, and how he continuously interact with other queer characters.

if were also discussing the topic, we can expand on Puck (a deep dive into the hyper-sexual nature of his character and the deeper reasoning of why he hooked up with older women) Jake (the intersectionality of race and masculinity), and Kurt and Blaine both as gay men and how they affect each other but also individually, (for Kurt, on how he viewed masculinity and how it relates to his sexuality which is a topic I kinda covered the other day, and specifically both his arc in s3 and s5).

[tuiyla]

Accidental Bartie analysis because why not

So now that I rewatched all of season 2 one of the things I’ve gained a new perspective on is the Bartie relationship. I think they’re fine as a couple, just fine, and even cute at times but there was always this thing that made me think they were much better off as friends. And yes, part of that thing is admittedly my Brittana bias, that’s fair. But even beyond that what I realized during this rewatch and especially in Rumours and Prom Queen as we bury romantic Bartie, is that I think Artie has always loved the idea of Brittany.

Artie is the uncool guy at school, not just because of his wheelchair but his general nerd status and, I’d argue, because of the way he sees himself as thoroughly uncool. He, like the other original Glee Clubbers is a misfit who finds belonging with the other misfits. And after his first relationship with Tina falls apart - because she leaves him for cool guy Mike, no less - Artie begins season 2 bitter over the breakup and wanting bigger and better things but not knowing how to get them. And then Brittany enters the picture, completely unrelated to anything Artie has done before. And sure they’ve been in Glee Club together for a year but with Artie more than most there’s a sense that him and the Unholy Trinity are still two wildly different worlds and it’s safe to assume he’s yet to spend some quality time with the Cheerios at this point. So when Brittany shows sudden interest in him, he can’t even believe it at first. Before he knows it they go from zero to sex real fast, which is a casual thing to Brittany but a big deal for Artie. Huuge deal. Cheerleaders have barely acknowledged his existence before and now he’s in Brittany room, having sex with her?

It doesn’t take long for Santana to push him down from that particular high and it hurts. Of course it hurts Artie because he felt special and to find out he isn’t, not to Brittany, it just sucks. But he can’t help being hung up on her because the meaning to him still remains. But even here, do you see that it isn’t really Brittany he’s after? By Never Been Kissed Artie talks about her as if he’s in love and desperately wants to have something with her for real but it’s that high he chases. The high of being the special one for once, and not in the way he ususally is where he has special needs and has to raise extra funds for a bus that could take him to Sectionals. No, this time a girl made him feel special and not just any girl, but one of the most popular Cheerios who’s beautiful and funny and chose him, even if his illusions of that being a unique encounter were shattered. But Artie still feels like what they’ve started is special so of course he takes Puck up on his offer to help him get Brittany for real.

And it is real, for a while. My goal with all of this isn’t to dismiss Bartie as a couple completely or to say any and all feelings Artie might have had for Brittany are invalid just because he liked the idea of her more than the actual person. Why would I say that, anyway? Sure, at first he might have been overwhelmed by the notion of her being this hot and popular Cheerio and failed to realize Britt’s perspective - just as she failed to see his - but that doesn’t mean that moving forward he didn’t love her. Well, I think Artie loved Brittany but never in a romantic way. I think he grew to care for her as a person and accept and even like her eccentricities, but honestly I think most of that was post-breakup. He accepted her while dating, too, but that was less of the kind of love you have when you’re truly in it for each other. When Brittany’s quirks aren’t just things to be handwaved away but things you actively look forward to. A cat fun fact brightening your day or her slight confusion and subsequent outside the box approach making you go “shit, she’s right”. I think Artie liked her to begin with and liked hanging out, but when it came to being in love it was the idea of the hot popular girl paying him attention and wanting to be with him, of all people, not Brittany the ditzy genius.

And you know, Artie was what 15 or 16 at the time? We all project at some point in our lives. We all have those relationships where the person paying attention to us is more important than the person themself. Because Artie was a nerdy, outcast teenage boy whose first relationship with a girl ended in her leaving him for a much ~better~ guy in all regards he thought he could never have. And I think Brittany loved Artie, too, although once again I don’t think I’d say she loved him romantically. Brittany can be very open and honest with her heart and even though there is the situation where, while she was with Artie, she spent much of the relationship also sorta-kinda being with Santana. And all conversations of how well she realized it was cheating aside, that hurt Artie and his pain is perfectly valid in that. But I think the beauty of Bartie as a midgame is that even though they end up hurting each other in some ways, it’s never malicious and there is genuine care there.

The final reason why I think we can say Artie loved Brittany as an idea rather than a person is in those last two episodes, in the breakup itself and the catalyst for it. Whether calling Brittany stupid was really that severe of a mistake is not my question here and not something I ever liked debating - because ultimately, it hurt Brittany and she made the call to end their relationship because of that. And I think her holding her ground like that is admirable. But what’s interesting to me is that yes, Artie does say it out of frustration and yes, he has a right to be upset about the Santana situation. The issue with calling her stupid is, even if it was born from rightful frustration, that it reveals what I talked about earlier. That Artie liked hanging with Brittany and did like her, but the quirks are more things he tolerated to be with this hot girl and things he looked past in those earlier days of limerence. Not things he actively loved, just things he tolerated. And yes, here Artie isn’t calling Brittany’s everlasting confusion of words stupid; he’s calling what he perceives as Brittany’s naivety when it comes to Santana stupid.

Even though he’s rightfully frustrated by all that, this crosses a line for Brittany because understanding her, loving her, means loving all those quirks and understanding that she’s not gonna turn her back on or betray Santana in any way. Not because she’s being manipulated or is acting stupid, but because she believes with her whole heart in people she loves and she loves Santana, whether they’re sleeping together or are dating or are best friends or not. Diminishing that, even in the heat of an argument is not cool in her book and not something Artie should have done. And I should note here, before anyone asks: so should a partner just accept and actively love all of Brittany’s oddities? Should they stand by as they’re being cheated on, as this other person in Brittany’s life takes and takes without, seemingly, giving much? And the answer is no, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m sure Santana will get frustrated at Brittany at some point in their married life. I’m sure she’ll snap and say things she regrets and I’m sure, like she did just before their wedding, she’ll put her foot down when Britt’s eccentricity gets too much. But Santana loves Brittany not despite; she loves her because. With, including all of that. And in that way, Bartie couldn’t compare and wasn’t mean to be.

Even though Artie loved what Brittany represented and she brought to his life, she was still a valuable person for him and there’s no bad blood between them moving forward. Artie’s last attempt at getting the girl who’s made him feel so special back fails, but Brittany doesn’t reject him in any way I’d consider to be malicious or bitter. And sure, Artie overreacts and says he has nothing else to live for, because he’s a teenage boy surrounded by overly dramatic people. But their moment at the end of prom proves so much. He shyly goes up to Brittany and she smiles and beckons him. They end up getting the dance and even their picture taken. They aren’t back together and they never will be. But they are friends and, perhaps, moving forward they both know themselves just a little bit better. Artie is more honest with himself about the things he’s looking for in a relationship, even if being honest with his partners needs a little work.

[belleandkurtbastian]

On the Sam body issues stuff...

Glee ALMOST set up a really interesting contrast between Sam and Artie, but they chickened out of it.

Sam feels like his body is ALL he has.

Artie feels like he doesn’t HAVE his body.

There is so much interesting introspective ground they could have covered there. So much specific solidarity in the contrast that Sam and Artie could have found...

But nope. Men’s body issues. Present constantly, addressed twice.

[favberrys]

Who should have been the “new Rachel” in season four ?

1) Tina: she is an incredible and underrated vocalist, for years she never had the spotlight and was constantly ignored in favor of other characters. Not only she is versatile in both singing and dancing, but she was also in charge of the costumes and often helped other gc members learning the choreographies. Tina was one of the few og new directions members left at the time, she was there from the beginning, s4 was supposed to be her moment to shine and show everyone how talented she was. Rachel told Tina, during the last episodes of s3, that she wanted her to lead the new directions after she graduated, so she basically chose Tina as “New Rachel”.

2) Blaine: honestly he’s my second choice after Tina. He has not been there from the beginning, but he’s an important member of the glee club and has way more experience than the newbies and other glee clubbers (indeed he was the lead of the warblers for years). Blaine has a very good stage presence, he’s intense and expressive. He’s basically the best male vocalist left in gc during s4, he’s talented and creative, so I think he could have been an excellent “New Rachel”.

3) Unique: listen I know she’s a newbie, but she has an amazing and powerful voice, unique is an explosion of talent and I think she would have been an excellent “New Rachel”. She was also the lead singer of vocal adrenaline (the best glee club of the state) for a year, they would have won every competition if she was the lead

4) Artie: He’s another og member and has a good vocal range, but I don’t think he would have been a good “New Rachel”. He liked Glee, but Tina and Blaine were way more dedicated to the glee club than him. Also he isn’t very charismatic and that’s an important quality if you wanna be a leader and a performer.

5) Marley: ok she’s very talented (listen to chasing pavements, she was brilliant) and has a good voice, but she can only do one music genre, which is pop. She’s doesn’t have the experience other gc members have and she is also no way near the vocal range the others have. Marley is a rough diamond: there’s a lot of talent, but she still has to unlock her full potential. I think that Mr. Schue was wrong to name her the new lead so soon because she still wasn’t ready for that kind of role. if I were Tina or Artie I would have been super angry about this decision.

6) Brittany: I love her so much, but she’s the worst singer out of the six. Brittany is without question the best dancer, but she’s not a great vocalist and I feel like she didn’t take glee club seriously. Yeah she loved being in glee, but she didn’t have the dedication others members have. Leading also implies being responsible and focused on the task ahead, and Brittany didn’t have these qualities.

[kuiinncedes]

Every Tina look: 1x09

[spaceorphan18]

June Character Celebration: Artie Abrams

Welcome to the June Character Celebration!

Each day, I’m picking a character or group of characters to celebrate.  Let’s celebrate Glee’s rich collection of characters by rec’ing fics, reblogging gifs, and discussing positive meta about them! It’s time to celebrate - c’mon!

June 10: Artie Abrams

These are just some of the reasons I enjoy Artie Abrams! 

Kevin McHale is a truly talented and sometimes overlooked performer.  He’s got a great voice and I don’t think that’s appreciated enough. 

Artie gets to be a really good comedic character, too!  

So, I know we always joke about Artie being a man slut - but can I say how cool it is that a character in a wheelchair gets to be portrayed as such? (you know what I mean.)  He’s seen as desirable and enjoys getting it on whenever he can.  Go Artie! (Though, dude, be safe.) 

What do you guys love about Artie Abrams?

[4yourexcitement]

10 years ago today we were introduced to a rag tag group of losers who, with a song in their hearts, were just looking for a place to belong as they made their way through high school in Nowhereville, Ohio. We met a young teacher trying to rediscover his passion for teaching. We came across your usual high school jocks and cheerleaders, we had our first run-in with a slightly scary, slightly crazy cheerleading coach, and we heard that iconic song for the first time closing out the episode.

Yes today marks 10 years since Glee’s pilot aired. How little we knew then the impact this show about a high school glee club that was littered with song and dance numbers that ran the gamut from top 40 pop to rap to classic rock to Broadway staples would have on our lives. And it’s not just our lives that it changed, it also changed the TV landscape… bringing musicals back to TV, opening up mainstream TV to LGBT issues, and raising awareness of issues from the value of arts education to texting and driving.

Let’s take a look at where the cast are now.

Dianna Agron – Quinn Fabray

Credit: FOX

Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images North America

Dianna became a household name as the Queen Bee head cheerleader Quinn Fabray with the seemingly picture perfect life… little did we know from that very first episode. Following her character’s high school graduation at the end of season 3, Dianna only appeared in a handful of episodes for the rest of Glee’s run. Since landing Glee, Dianna has had a number of film roles. They include The Hunters (2011), I Am Number Four (2011), The Family (2013), Zipper (2015), Bare (2015), and The Crash (2017). She also made her London theatre debut as Dahlia in the play McQueen in 2015. Dianna married Mumford & Sons’ Winston Marshall in 2016.

Chris Colfer – Kurt Hummel

Credit: FOX

Credit: Chris Colfer/Instagram

Chris was a cherub-faced 19-year-old when Ryan Murphy created the role of Kurt Hummel for him and just like his character, Chris is not taking ‘no’ for an answer and forging his own career as a storyteller. Chris won a Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the fashion-forward countertenor in 2011. During the Glee 2011 hiatus, Chris wrote and starred in the film Struck by Lightning. Chris adapted the film’s script into a novel, which was published in November 2012. While working on the Struck and during breaks in the Glee Live! in Concert! tour through North America, the UK and Ireland, Chris was working on his draft for The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, the first in his fantasy children’s series and earning him his first New York Times Bestseller’s list entry. The novel has spawned five sequels, two picture books and a couple of companion books, not to mention a number of other Bestseller’s list entries. It was announced last year that the first book was being adapted for film. Chris will not only serve as writer and executive producer, but will also make his directorial debut on the project. He also released his second Young Adult novel – Stranger than Fanfiction – in 2017. Although his writing has kept Chris largely busy since Glee wrapped, he has had a guest spot on Hot in Cleveland and guest starred in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Jane Lynch – Sue Sylvester

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Credit: Andrew Toth/WireImage

When Glee debuted 10 years ago, Jane Lynch was probably the best-known cast member. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in cheer coach and Will Schuester/Glee club antagonist Sue Sylvester. Jane had some of the best one-liners throughout the series, with many still littering social media today. From 2013, Jane has hosted NBC’s game show Hollywood Game Night (on which a number of her Glee castmates have appeared) for which she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Host in 2018. That same year was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor for her role in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Jane executive produced and starred in the comedy web series Dropping the Soap, earning an Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Emmy nomination for her performance. Her autobiography, Happy Accidents was published in 2011, and Jane returned to the stage, making her Broadway debut as Miss Hannigan for a limited engagement in 2013 in the Annie revivial and touring her cabaret show, See Jane Sing, which debuted in 2015.

Jayma Mays – Emma Pilsbury

Credit: FOX

Credit: NBC

Jayma played the germaphobe McKinley High guidance counselor, who always had a motivational leaflet on hand for any occasion. Her infatuation with Will Schuester provided her with much angst in the first few seasons, but her patience and long-suffering was finally rewarded, notwithstanding her runaway bride escapade. Jayma starred alongside Neil Patrick Harris in the two Smurf movies and had lead roles in the TV series The Millers (2013-2015) and Trial & Error (2017-2018). Jayma and husband Adam Campbell welcomed their son, Jude in August 2016.

Kevin McHale – Artie Abrams

Credit: FOX

Credit: Roc Nation

Former boy band member, Kevin took on the role of wheelchair bound Artie Abrams. Since Glee wrapped in 2015, Kevin spent some time in the UK hosting the comedy panel show Virtually Famous for its first three seasons. He also played supporting roles in the independent film Boychoir and the docudrama miniseries When We Rise, which detailed the history of US LGBT rights advocacy from the 1970s to the 2010s. On the music front, Kevin joined fellow Glee star Darren Criss in Katy Perry’s celeb-filled video for her 2011 hit “Last Friday Night “(T.G.I.F.)” and has recently my working on new solo work, with his song “Help Me Now” released at the end of March. Kevin can also be heard every Thursday with best friend and Glee co-star Jenna Ushkowitz on their podcast Showmance – part of the Ladygang Network, of which fellow co-star Becca Tobin is co-creator of.

Lea Michele – Rachel Berry

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Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Lea starred as the Broadway-obsessed, New Directions-lead diva, Rachel Berry. Following Glee’s end, Lea joined Ryan Murphy’s new Fox comedy horror series, Scream Queens. Lea played Hester Ulrich for the show’s two seasons. In 2017 she starred as Valentina Barella in ABC’s ill-fated sitcom The Mayor, which despite positive critical acclaim, was cancelled after one season. Lea made her feature film debut in 2011’s New Year’s Eve. Lea has released two studio albums: Louder (2014) and Places (2017), and has recently teased work beginning on a new album. She promoted Places in 2017 with the mini tour An Intimate Evening with Lea Michele, which took her to nine cities in the US as well as Toronto, Canada and London, UK. She teamed up with fellow Glee-alum Darren Criss for the LM/DC Tour in 2018, which saw the pair perform across North America, the UK and Ireland. Lea has also penned two books: the New York Times Bestseller Brunette Ambition and You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life. Lea married president of clothing brand AYR, Zandy Reich earlier this year.

Cory Monteith – Finn Hudson

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Credit: rederick M. Brown/Getty Image

Cory played the lovable giant Finn Hudson, McKinley’s star quarterback who also slayed it on the drums and could nail any classic rock song. While working on Glee, Canadian native starred in Monte Carlo and Sisters & Brothers, both were released in 2011. Cory made no secret of his struggles with addiction, both before and during Glee. Cory was found dead in a Vancouver hotel in July 2013. His two films, All The Wrong Reasons and McCanick were released posthumously. The cast and crew paid tribute to both Cory and Finn in the season 5 episode, “The Quarterback”.

Matthew Morrison – Will Schuester

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Credit: Getty Images

The role of McKinley High’s inept Spanish teacher who revives the glee club was played by Matthew Morrison. Matt released his first solo studio album in 2011. The self-titled album was followed up in 2013 with the release of Where It All Began, a collection of Broadway standards. Matt also starred in The Muppets (2011) and the film adaptation of bestselling book, What To Expect When You’re Expecting (2012). Matt returned to the Broadway stage in 2015, performing the title role of J.M. Barrie in the new musical Finding Neverland. The role earned him two Broadway.com Audience Awards: Favorite Actor in a Musical and Favorite Onstage Pair (with Laura Michelle Kelly). He has had recurring roles on The Good Wife and Grey’s Anatomy and earlier this year, Matt was one of the dance captain’s in BBC One’s The Greatest Dancer. He married Renee Puente in 2014. The couple welcomed their first child, Revel in 2017.

Amber Riley – Mercedes Jones

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Credit: Getty Images North America

With a killer set of pipes and a huge dose of diva, Amber Riley played the unstoppable Mercedes Jones. Amber put her years of Glee dance training to use, taking out the Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars. She starred as Addaperle, the Good Witch of the North, in NBC’s live performance of The Wiz in 2015. Amber then came across to London and made her West End debut as Effie White in Dreamgirls, a role that won her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2017. Later that year she was a judge on BBC One’s musical talent show Let It Shine. She also joined forces with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson as Leading Ladies. They released their first album, Songs from the Stage at the end of 2017.

Mark Salling – Noah “Puck” Puckerman

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Credit: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images

Mark played McKinley’s resident “badass” Puck. A bully who has been in and out of juvie, he’s Finn Hudson’s best friend and teammate on the football team, however, this doesn’t stop him from knocking up Finn’s girlfriend Quinn. But this relationship does bring him to the New Directions as a way to be closer to Quinn. Mark released the studio album Pipe Dreams in 2010 where it received modest success reaching 29 on the US Indie chart. In 2013 Mark was accused of sexual battery, which was settled out of court. He was later arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. He died by suicide in January 2018 before he was sentenced.

Jenna Ushkowitz – Tina Cohen-Chang

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Credit: Jenna Ushkowitz/Twitter

Jenna starred as the stuttering emo/goth Tina Cohen-Chang, though both of these attributes didn’t last beyond the first two seasons. Jenna released an autobiography, Choosing Glee in 2013. She returned to the stage in 2015 and 2016 as Julia Sullivan in The Wedding Singer in Pittsburgh and in a limited run as Dawn Williams in Broadway’s Waitress, respectively. Jenna has also turned to producing. She executive produced the documentary Twinsters in 2015, which premiered at the South by Southwest festival and she won her first Tony last year for her work as a producer on the Once on This Island musical revival. In 2016 Jenna founded the At Will Radio podcast network with Will Malnati. She hosted the podcast Infinite Positivities. More recently she has joined Glee best friend and costar Kevin McHale as co-hosts of the Ladygang Network podcast Showmance. Jenna also founded Kindred: The Foundation for Adoption with fellow adoptee Samantha Futerman.

Heather Morris – Brittany Pierce

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Credit: Drop The Mic

In what was only meant to be a background role, Heather Morris so endeared ditzy cheerleader Brittany Pierce to the fans and the Glee writers that she quickly became a series regular. Heather provided the voice of Katie in Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and has starred in Spring Breakers (2013), Most Likely to Die (2015) and Folk Hero & Funny Guy (2016). Heather appeared in the 2017 season of Dancing with the Stars, being eliminated in the sixth week of the competition. Heather gave birth to her son, Elijah with Taylor Hubbell in 2013. Heather and Taylor were married in 2015 and welcomed their second son, Owen in 2016.

Naya Rivera – Santana Lopez

Credit: FOX

Credit: Watch What Happens Live

The third member of the Unholy Trinity, Naya starred as Latino spitfire Santana Lopez. Naya made her feature film debut in 2014 in the horror film At the Devil’s Door. She had a recurring role in the third season of Devious Maids (2015) and has starred in the YouTube Red series Step Up: High Water (2018-). Naya signed with Columbia Records in 2011 to produce a solo album. Her single “Sorry”, featuring then-boyfriend and rapper Big Sean was released in 2013, though the album was never produced. Naya has also published a memoir: Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up. Naya married Ryan Dorsey in 2014. They have a son, Josey, who was born in 2015. Naya and Ryan eventually divorced in 2018.

Harry Shum Jr. – Mike Chang

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Credit: Getty Images

The dancing jock with a surprising voice, Harry starred as Mike Chang. Known for most of the first season as “Other Asian”, it was his relationship with Tina from the second season that brought Mike into the heart of the glee club and their fans. Harry was involved in a number of web series during Glee’s run, including Step Up 3-D and Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Since Glee he has starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and the hit 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. He is best known for his role as the warlock Magnus Bane in the Freeform/Netflix series Shadowhunters, which ran from 2016 and the series finale airing earlier this month. Personally Harry married actress/dancer Shelby Rabara in 2015. The couple’s first child, Xia, was born earlier this year.

Chord Overstreet – Sam Evans

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Credit: Chord Overstreet/Instagram

Chord joined the cast early on in season 2 as transfer student Sam Evans. While Chord starred as Nick in the 2015 film 4th Man Out, he has largely focused on his music career since Glee wrapped. In 2016, Chord toured with Glee season 5 recurring guest Demi Levato and Nick Jonas, opening a series of their Future Now Tour dates. He released a series of singles between 2016 and 2017, along with his debut EP Tree House Tapes in mid 2017. In 2018, he created alt-pop-rock group Overstreet. They released singles “Wasted Time” and “Carried Away” Last month they debuted new song “All Nighter” and their debut album Man on the Moon is due out later this year. They are currently touring around the US at selected cities.

Darren Criss – Blaine Anderson

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Credit: Danny Moloshok/Invisionfor the Television Academy/AP Images

With a failed audition for Finn Hudson behind him, Darren Criss was cast as rival glee club Dalton Academy’s lead singer, Blaine Anderson, in season 2’s sixth episode, “Never Been Kissed”. Initially a short guest stint as a role model-type character for Kurt, the chemistry between Darren and Chris Colfer and the fan response to both Darren and his debut song “Teenage Dream” soon saw him join the regular cast. Darren made his Broadway debut in a three week stint as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in January 2012. He went straight from Glee into rehearsals for Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, taking the stage for 12-weeks in 2015. He reprised the role for the San Francisco and LA legs of the US tour in 2016. He has starred in the films Girl Most Likely (2012) and the upcoming WWII drama Midway. The film All You Ever Wished For, which was filmed straight after his first Hedwig run and received limited cinema release, will be available on DVD from next month. Darren teamed up with Ryan Murphy again as Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, a role which won him a slew of awards in the past award season including the Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG for Best Actor in a Limited Series.

  Darren’s first solo tour, Listen Up, played to sold out venues in Glee’s 2013 summer hiatus. He formed the band Computer Games with his brother Chuck last year. They released their debut EP Lost Boys Life and played a few concerts around the US and in Mexico. They are set to release some new tracks over the next few months. Darren released his second solo EP Homework at the end of 2017. He toured with co-star Lea Michele throughout 2018 as well as performed intimate solo sets in London and Sydney. Darren realised a long-held dream in 2015, with the launch of Elsie Fest – a Broadway and pop music festival. The festival has been held annually in New York City. Darren married long-time girlfriend Mia Swier earlier this year. They opened the piano bar Tramp Stamp Granny’s in LA last year.

Honorable Mentions

Guest star Grant Gustin (Warbler Sebastian Smythe – 2011-2013) has gone on to star as Barry Allen/The Flash in The CW’s The Flash and other Arrowverse shows. Melissa Benoist (Marley Rose – 2012-2014) currently appears as Kara Danvers/Supergirl in The CW’s Supergirl and other Arrowverse shows. Becca Tobin (Kitty Wilde – 2012-2015) has starred in a number of Hallmark movies and created the podcast Ladygang with Keltie Knight and Jac Vanek. This has spawned an E! TV series and podcast network. The ladies are about to embark on a limited tour of the US.

4YE Glee 10 Years On: What Have The Cast Been Up To Since Glee Wrapped? 10 years ago today we were introduced to a rag tag group of losers who, with a song in their hearts, were just looking for a place to belong as they made their way through high school in Nowhereville, Ohio.