Who's up for some jazz hands?

Everyone's writing about new Fox show "Glee" as if it's some cataclysmic event that we should all be aware of in TV land. Honestly, it must be the post-"American Idol" time slot, because the number of stories I've seen on the Web and wire have been pretty alarming.

Anyway, I'd normally be dismissive of the premise -- anything that resembles "High School Musical" or features hyperactive show choir kids at the center of each episode wouldn't seem to be up my alley -- but so far, I've read comparisons to a favorite TV show ("Freaks and Geeks"), a favorite movie ("Election") and have been teased with a future appearance by the darling Kristin Chenoweth. Apparently, these reviewers know how to evoke a Pavlovian response from me.

Of course, those could all be super lazy comparisons considering "Glee" is set in a high school, but based on what I've read, I'd be interested enough to find out. (Plus, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly, who I don't always agree with, makes a pretty compelling argument with his enthusiasm for the show.)

So I may or may not TiVo "Glee" just for kicks. After all, it's only a one episode investment. In a somewhat unprecedented move, Fox is airing the pilot after "Idol" -- and will probably get a huge spike because of that -- then saving the remaining episodes for fall.

Want to know more? Well, it's by the "Nip/Tuck" guy, Ryan Murphy. It's on whenever "Idol" wraps up its karaoke-fest tonight. Also, no one at the show apparently got the memo that Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has been run into the ground.

Read the abundance of articles from the AV Club, Alan Sepinwall's blog and Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune for further details. Also worth checking out: the AV Club did a "Random Roles" interview with "Glee's" Jane Lynch, who seems to be in every major comedy project these days.

Watch it and report back to us tomorrow with your thoughts!



-- Thomas Rozwadowski, trozwado@greenbaypressgazette.com