‘Glee’ Revival Ordered at Disney+ and Hulu: What We Know

Glee is coming back. Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a revival of the high school musical series that ran on Fox from 2009 to 2015, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. The Glee revival will be produced by 20th Television, the studio behind the original show, and the series’ official Instagram account confirmed the news, according to USA Today.

Image: An empty high school auditorium stage, used for illustration. This is not a Glee set. Photo: w_lemay, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

What Disney has confirmed so far

Not much beyond the order itself. The Hollywood Reporter said Disney’s press release named no producers or cast members, and that deals for the creative team were still being finalized, according to sources. No premiere date, episode count or story details have been announced, and it is not yet clear whether the new show will continue the original story or start fresh with new students.

Both The Hollywood Reporter and USA Today pointed to co-creator Ryan Murphy as the driving force. In August, Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter he was “considering” a new version. “For many, many people now in their 20s, they grew up on that show and it meant something to them,” he said. “The music meant something. So, let’s kick it around and see what we get.”

Ryan Murphy’s script and the original cast

In late September, Murphy told Entertainment Tonight that he had “just finished the script an hour ago,” written with fellow co-creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, USA Today reported. “I’ve been in touch with around 10 of the original cast members,” Murphy said. “They all had a lot of questions, but they all were very enthusiastic about the idea. Nobody’s read it, so I don’t know. We’ll see.” He did not say which actors he had contacted.

Some former stars have spoken publicly about returning, according to USA Today:

• Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) told E! News in September she would be up for it and would “follow Ryan wherever he goes.”
• Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester) told People in 2024 she would “absolutely” play the role again.
• Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel) told USA Today in 2019 a reboot was “not for me,” but told Bustle this month he would be open to it, adding that “it would be really hard to do it now that Naya [Rivera] is gone.”
• Kevin McHale (Artie Abrams) told Insider in 2022 he did not think he should play a character who uses a wheelchair again, but said he would take a different role.

The original cast has also suffered losses. Cory Monteith, who played Finn, died in 2013; Mark Salling, who played Puck, died in 2018; and Naya Rivera, who played Santana, died in an accidental drowning in 2020.

Why Glee still matters to fans

Glee followed the show choir at William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, and became a cultural phenomenon almost from its 2009 pilot. Over six seasons it won six Emmy Awards, including a directing Emmy for Murphy for the pilot and a supporting actress award for Lynch in 2010, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Its cover versions of pop and Broadway songs became chart hits, and songs from the show still draw about 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

The original series already streams on Hulu, which gives Disney a built-in audience to promote the new version to. Hulu is also developing a new take on The X-Files from Sinners director Ryan Coogler, starring Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel, USA Today reported, part of a wider streaming push to revive familiar shows.

A big week for streaming news

The order comes as streamers compete hard for proven titles and audiences. The same day, Netflix named former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice as chief content officer, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The Boston Report has covered the shifting entertainment business, including the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger that created the new Skydance and Disney’s $20 million Character.AI licensing deal.

For now, fans will have to wait for casting news. With a script written and a studio deal in place, the next announcements are likely to be the creative team and which original stars, if any, will return to the choir room.

Sources

• The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Glee’ revival a go at Disney+ and Hulu
• USA Today: ‘Glee’ is officially coming back, what we know about the reboot
• Deadline: ‘Glee’ reboot lands series order at Disney+ and Hulu
• The Hollywood Reporter: Daily Edition, Oct. 21, 2026 (Netflix and Peter Rice)
• Wikimedia Commons: Auditorium Stage, Schurz High School (CC BY-SA 2.0)