Blu-Ray Review: Amazing HD Release For First Season of ‘Glee’

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CHICAGO – We at HollywoodChicago.com have reviewed dozens of HD season TV sets and the one for the first season of FOX’s beloved “Glee” is easily one of the best yet released. It plays perfectly to both fans of the show and those who have never seen it before, making it the collector’s item that it should be along with expanding the audience of its program. Other studios should take notes (no pun intended).

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

To be fair, “Glee” is a program designed for the era of Blu-ray. It simply has elements that fit the format better than other shows. For example, with the Blu-ray release of “Glee,” you can play “Glee: Music Jukebox,” in which solely the musical numbers from that disc’s episodes play chronologically. Or you can take it a step further with “Glee: Sing-Along Karaoke” and actually try and get involved.

Glee: The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 14th, 2010
Photo credit: Fox Home Video

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, the show itself. “Glee” is one of the most innovative and creatively-charged programs to debut in years. I can still vividly remember watching the pilot episode in the Spring of 2009 and simply being blown away that there was a major network willing to take a chance on such a unique program. At the time, critics hoped that it would catch on with audiences but viewers can be fickle and the fate of the TV musical has not been pretty historically.

Glee: The Complete First Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 14th, 2010 Photo credit: Fox Home Video

Luckily, audiences recognized the excellence of the writing on Ryan Murphy’s program and the show caught on with the public as much as it did with critics. Winning multiple awards, the first season of “Glee” was easily one of the most accomplished freshman years of the last decade. The show stumbled a bit in the spring with a few episodes that felt repetitive and uninspired in comparison to the fall, but the show remains as creatively charged as anything on TV right now and even if your love affair with it may have slightly cooled off, you will find much to like about this excellent Blu-ray release.

Those of you who aren’t watching “Glee” on your iPhone probably know that the program looks and sounds amazing in its initial HD broadcast. The sad thing about the slow development of Blu-ray is that a lot of programs are being broadcast in beautiful HD but than being released on standard DVD. Fox knows that “Glee” is a show for which the production values are a crucial element and have given it a fantastic transfer, especially the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that mixes the music perfectly with the rest of the show.

As for special features, they’re copious and interesting. Some are a bit too brief and goofy and I would have liked a more extensive featurette about the show and a few more commentary tracks from the show’s creators, but what is included seems to fit the joyful tone of the program instead of feeling like mere filler.

With fan-oriented special features, a perfect transfer, and one of the best programs on television to build it around, “Glee: The Complete First Season” is one of the few fall 2010 TV on Blu-ray releases that can truly be called must-own if you’re a Gleek or not.

Special Features:
o Behind The Pilot: A Visual Commentary With Cast and Crew
o Glee Sing Along Karaoke & Music Jukebox
o The Power Of Madonna
o Full-Length Audition Pieces
o Staying In Step With Glee
o Bite Their Style, Dress Like Your Favorite Gleek
o Making Of A Showstopper
o Meet Jane Lynch

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com