Pilot

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio. The pilot episode covers the formation of the club and introduces the main characters. The episode was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and written by Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. Murphy selected the music featured in the episode, with the intention of maintaining a balance between showtunes and chart hits. The episode achieved 9.619 million viewers on first broadcast, and 4.2 million when the director's cut version aired. Critical response was mixed, with The New York Times Alessandra Stanley highlighting the episode's unoriginality and stereotyped characters, but praising the showmanship and talent of the cast. The Daily News David Hinckley opined that the show was imperfect and implausible but "potentially heartwarming", while USA Today Robert Bianco noted casting and tone problems, but commented positively on the show's humor and musical performances. Mary McNamara for the Los Angeles Times wrote that the show had a wide audience appeal, calling it: "the first show in a long time that's just plain full-throttle, no-guilty-pleasure-rationalizations-necessary fun." Plot Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) learns that Sandy Ryerson, the head of William McKinley High School's Glee Club, has been fired for inappropriate sexual behavior towards a male student. The school principal, Figgins (Iqbal Theba), gives Will permission to take over the club, which angers Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), the head of the school's successful cheerleading squad, Cheerios. Will plans to revitalize the glee club, naming the group New Directions, which attracts the attention of fame-hungry Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), diva Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), fashionable Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), paraplegic Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale), and shy Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz). Will's wife, Terri Schuester (Jessalyn Gilsig), is unsupportive of Will's devotion to the glee club, encouraging Will to instead give up teaching and become an accountant to increase their income.