Never Tell a 'Glee' Fan There's No Plot

This isn't something I normally share with complete strangers, but here goes nothing: I'm a fan of musical theatre. A big fan. In a my-iTunes-is-mostly-Broadway-soundtracks and an I-participated-in-every-school-play kind of way. Nothing — nothing, I tell you — makes me happier than a big ol' chorus number with a perfectly choreographed routine to match. So Glee is basically right up my alley. It has everything I'm looking for: singing, dancing, and a cast of Broadway alums like Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison to pull the entire thing off.

And it'a apparently right up a lot of other people's alley too, because it won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy for its first season, plus it's gotten a whole bunch of Emmy nominations.

But that doesn't mean Glee is everyone's cup of tea. In fact, I would say the tables have turned pretty solidly against the musical comedy/drama/occasional after school special. But I couldn't care less. The show has undergone some pretty significant casting changes, and it might not look too much like the Glee I first tuned into, but as long as it's willing to continue churning out theatrical arrangements of today's pop hits, I'll watch to the very end.

And for those of you who have ignored the immortal words of Journey and stopped believin', here's a handy list of things not to say to die-hard Glee fans — unless you'd like to get smacked with some jazz hands.

PEOPLE DON'T BURST INTO SONG IN REAL LIFE

Newsflash: people do a lot of things on television they don't do in real life. I'm not exactly sure what these haters will do when they realize real people also don't give birth to dragons or solve cases with one red herring in exactly 44 minutes.

THERE'S TOO MANY CHARACTERS

More to love, dummies! And Glee features one of the most diverse casts on television. Remember when television was almost exclusively about white dudes? Glee was a huge force is changing the face of television.

IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE

Look, I'm not saying that Glee hasn't taken us down some pretty crazy rabbit holes, but in its defense, how can you be sure that teaching the entire football team the "Single Ladies" dance won't improve their kicking?

THERE'S NO PLOT

Plot-schmot! If Glee has taught me one thing, it's that if you have enough showmanship, nothing else matters. And Glee has showmanship in spades.

THE COVERS ARE NEVER AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL SONGS

Sorry, I can't hear you over my Glee cast recording of "Don't Stop Believin'."

THEY RUINED MUSICIAN/BAND X FOR ME

Really? One lousy cover song was all it took to ruin an artist's entire catalogue for you? You do realize that just not listening to show's songs was always an option, right?

THERE'S TOO MUCH TEEN DRAMA

Oh, I'm sorry, what were you expecting from a show set in a high school? Calm, thoughtful discussion about our nation's most pressing issues?

ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE ANNOYING

NO, YOU'RE ANNOYING.

THE CORY MONTEITH EPISODE WAS IN POOR TASTE

Actually, it was an incredibly touching tribute to a man who played a huge part in making Glee what it was by the cast and crew on behalf of the fans. It's a difficult episode to watch, but not because it's exploitative, but because it's an honest look at how people mourn.

In summary: GLEE RULES, HATERS DROOL. *Mic drop*

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