HBO launches behind-the-scenes series on Glee; remember the controversies of the musical series

HBO Max announced on Wednesday (10) that the documentary series “Glee: The Price of Success” will be released on May 19. The production will also be available on Discovery+ and will be shown on Canal ID, at 8:30 pm on May 19th.

The documentary addresses the history and behind the scenes of the musical series created by Ryan Murphy, which was hugely successful and won a number of awards, and will also pay tribute to the actors.

“Glee was a once-in-a-generation cultural phenomenon that bravely challenged social conventions and sparked debates about sexuality, race, disability and family. The weekly episodes, full of music, made many people happy, but could not escape the dark universe of Hollywood and the frenzy of the nascent social networks”, said Jason Sarlanis, President of Investigative Content and True Crime for Linear TV and Streaming, Warner Bros.

Despite the success, the actors of “Glee” went through several controversies during and after the production of the program. Three of them died tragically and will also be included in the documentary, which will portray their lives on and off the sets.

Remember the controversies involving the cast:

Cory Monteith

Star of the series, Cory played Finn Hudson, a heartthrob who faced acceptance issues. In 2013, while the show was still taping, he was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room after suffering an overdose of heroin and alcohol. The actor had struggled with drugs since he was a teenager and had already gone through rehab. He was 31 years old.

In the series, Cory was honored in an episode dedicated to him.

Mark Salling

The actor who played Puck on the series was tried for possessing child pornography, but was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty. In 2018, he was found dead by a river in Los Angeles, a month before his sentencing hearing. The cause of death was suicide. He was 35 years old.

Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera, the actress who played Santana Lopez, a lesbian cheerleader seeking her own acceptance, was found lifeless in a California lake in July 2020.

At the time, Naya rented a boat to go out with her 4-year-old son. The child was found by police while she was sleeping alone on the vessel. The actress’s body was found exactly seven years after Cory’s death, on July 13, 2020. She was 33 years old.

Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner

Actress Melissa Benoist, who played Marley in the series, revealed that she suffered domestic violence while she was married to Blake Jenner, an actor who played Rynder Lynn, her romantic partner in “Glee”.

Blake Jenner stayed a year away from social media and took the blame, claiming he was also a victim.

Lea Michele

One of the main actresses on the show, Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry, appeared in several controversies that addressed her behavior. Behind-the-scenes reports point out that she and Naya had a feud.

Santana, Naya’s character, began to gain prominence and this bothered Lea, as she was responsible for singing most of the solos.

In 2021, the actress took a stand against the police officer who murdered George Floyd. After the incident, Samantha Ware, who played Jane Hayward on “Glee”, criticized and described Lea as racist, toxic and abusive.

“Remember when you made my first television job look like hell? Because I will never forget,” she said on social media.