The sixth and final season of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

musical

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' was commissioned on April 19, 2013, along with the fifth season, as part of a two-season renewal deal for the show on the

network. The final season, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on Friday, January 9, 2015, with the first two episodes, and the last two episodes (functioning as a single series finale) aired on March 20, 2015. The series features the New Directions

glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

at the fictional William McKinley High School (WMHS) in the town of

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...

, and some of the graduates of McKinley. The season focuses on the former glee club member,

Rachel Berry Rachel Barbra Berry is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists, alongside Mr. Schue in the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot epi ...

, who returns to McKinley after her TV pilot bombs to rebuild the disbanded glee club. The central characters are the former glee club director

Will Schuester William Michael Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional teacher character and one of the two main protagonists from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'', alongside his student Rachel Berry. He has appeared in ''Glee'' ...

(

Matthew Morrison Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter, best known for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television show ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2009–2015). He has s ...

), school principal

Sue Sylvester Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through th ...

(

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series ''Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recogni ...

), and Glee club graduates Rachel Berry (

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...

Kurt Hummel Kurt Elizabeth Hummel is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied a ...

(

Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...

Blaine Anderson Blaine Devon Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series ''Glee''. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalt ...

(

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

Artie Abrams Arthur "Artie" Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' portrayed as the "glue" of the glee club. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and appeared in ''Glee'' since its pilot episode, first ...

( Kevin McHale), and

Sam Evans Sam Evans is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on ''Glee'' starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first bro ...

(

Chord Overstreet Chord Paul Overstreet (born February 17, 1989) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Sam Evans on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). He has starred in the Apple TV+ comedy series ''Acapulco'' since 20 ...

Amber Riley Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986), sometimes known mononymously as RILEY, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on the Fox comedy-drama series ''Glee'' (2009–2015). For her perform ...

returns to the main cast as

Mercedes Jones Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes w ...

and

Dot-Marie Jones Dorothy-Marie Jones (born January 4, 1964) is an American actress and retired athlete who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world ...

, who portrays

Sheldon Beiste Coach Sheldon Beiste is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. He is portrayed by actress Dot-Marie Jones, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since its second season premiere "Audition", first broadcast on Septemb ...

, the school's football coach, was promoted to the main cast after four years as a recurring character.

Jenna Ushkowitz Jenna Noelle Ushkowitz (; born April 28, 1986) (born Min Ji []) is a South Korean-born American actress, singer, producer and podcast host. She is known for her performances in Broadway musicals such as ''The King and I'' and '' Waitress (musical ...

Naya Rivera Naya Marie Rivera (; January 12, 1987July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. Recognized for her work on the popular musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'', she received various awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and ...

Becca Tobin Rebecca Grace Tobin (born January 18, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her role as Kitty Wilde on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. Early life Tobin grew up in Marietta, Georgia, the younger of two ...

Jacob Artist Jacob Artist (born October 17, 1992) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his roles as Jake Puckerman on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' and as Brandon Fletcher on the ABC drama-thriller series '' Quantico'' ...

Melissa Benoist Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...

Blake Jenner Blake Alexander Jenner (born August 27, 1992) is an American actor. Jenner won the second season of Oxygen's ''The Glee Project'' and, as a result, portrayed Ryder Lynn on the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. He has since had starring a ...

, and

Alex Newell Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series ''Glee'' and Mo on ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist''. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadway ...

who have portrayed, respectively,

Tina Cohen-Chang Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was deve ...

Santana Lopez Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character was portrayed by Naya Rivera, and has appeared in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by ...

Kitty Wilde Kitty Wilde is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Becca Tobin, and appeared for the first time during the first episode of the fourth season, "The New Rachel", first br ...

Jake Puckerman ''Glee'' is a musical comedy-drama television series that aired on Fox in the United States for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing in the show choir competition circuit, while its membe ...

Marley Rose Marley Rose is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Melissa Benoist, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since the premiere of the fourth season, " The New Rachel", first broa ...

Ryder Lynn Ryder Lynn is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actor Blake Jenner, and has appeared in ''Glee'' since its fifth episode of the fourth season, "The Role You Were Born to Play", ...

, and

Wade "Unique" Adams Unique Adams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee'' who first appeared in "Saturday Night Glee-ver", the sixteenth episode of the show's third season. Portrayed by actor Alex Newell, Unique is notable for bei ...

, were demoted from the main cast this season with Ushkowitz, Rivera, and Tobin recurring throughout the season, Newell appearing in one mid season episode then joining Artist and Jenner for a brief appearance in the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

. Benoist does not appear at all in this season. The season was nominated for one

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

Episodes

Production

On April 19, 2013, Fox renewed ''Glee'' for a fifth and a sixth season, as part of a two-season renewal deal for the show. Ryan Murphy subsequently announced that season six would be the series' final season, that it wouldn't be New York-centric like the end of the fifth season, that there will be a time jump between the season five finale and the season six premiere, and that during the final season the show would revisit the younger McKinley High students who did not graduate in the fifth season. Season six premiered on January 9, 2015, as part of the 2014–15 television season. The 13 episodes were broadcast consecutively on Fridays at 9:00 p.m. (ET), with the beginning and ending double episodes starting an hour earlier. Executive Music Producer

Adam Anders Adam Anders (born October 10, 1975) is a Swedish film, television and music producer who has sold more than 100 million albums and in recent years has become one of the most in-demand Executive Producers for music-driven film and television. Ander ...

began working on the music for the season on July 16, 2014, and on August 25 his brother Alex Anders was in the studio with

doing the show's first cast member recording session of the season. The season's first day of filming was September 3, 2014, which was revealed that day by co-executive producer

Michael Hitchcock Michael Hitchcock (born July 28, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Un ...

with a "Back to school" tweet accompanied by a photo of a first-episode call sheet;

posted a picture of herself from the set that same day. Filming concluded on February 21, 2015. The final season follows former New Directions lead singer and Broadway star

(Michele) as she returns to Lima to relaunch the New Directions. The sixth season included the 700th song performance on the show, which took place in the sixth episode. On December 6, 2014, the EPs for the first two episodes of the season were posted on Amazon over a month before their scheduled release, including the episodes' titles "Loser Like Me" and "Homecoming". "Loser Like Me" included the songs " Uninvited", "Suddenly Seymour", "

Sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

", "Dance the Night Away" and "

Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...

". "Homecoming" included the songs "Take On Me", "Tightrope", "Mustang Sally", "Home" and "Problem". The EP for the third episode was posted on December 13, 2014, including the episode title "Jagged Little Tapestry". The episode included the songs "It's Too Late", "So Far Away", and three mash-ups: "Hand In My Pocket / I Feel the Earth Move", "Will You Love Me Tomorrow / Head Over Feet", and "You Learn / You've Got a Friend".

Cast

The main cast was reduced for the sixth season:

, Kevin McHale,

, and

continue from the previous season while

returned to the main cast and

was promoted to the main cast after four years as a recurring guest star. Former previous main cast members who return as guest stars include

Dianna Agron Dianna Elise Agron ( ; born April 30, 1986) is an American actress and singer. After primarily dancing and starring in small musical theater productions in her youth, Agron made her screen debut in 2006, and in 2007, she played recurring charac ...

Mark Salling Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series ''Glee''. Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before work ...

Jayma Mays Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays is an American actress. She is known for playing Emma Pillsbury in the Fox musical series ''Glee'' (2009–2015) and for her starring roles in the films ''Red Eye'' (2005), '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' (2009) and ''The S ...

Heather Morris Heather Elizabeth Morris (born February 1, 1987) is an American actress, dancer, singer, and model. She played the role of Brittany Pierce, Brittany S. Pierce in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox musical comedy-drama series ''Glee (TV series), G ...

Harry Shum Jr. Harry Shum Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and singer. He is best known for his roles as Mike Chang on the Fox television series ''Glee'' (2009–15), Benson Kwan on the ABC television series ''Grey's Anato ...

Mike O'Malley Michael Edward O'Malley (born October 31, 1966) is an American actor, writer and producer. Born in Boston and raised in New Hampshire, O'Malley hosted the early 1990s children's game show '' Nickelodeon Guts'' before moving to Los Angeles later ...

Jessalyn Gilsig Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig (born November 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Lauren Davis in ''Boston Public'', Gina Russo in ''Nip/Tuck'', Terri Schuester in ''Glee'', and as Siggy Haraldson in ''Vikings''. Early life ...

, and

. Past recurring guest stars returning during the season include

Iqbal Theba Iqbal Theba (pronounced ; born December 20, 1963) is a Pakistani actor. Theba is best known for his recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show ''Glee''. Early life Theba was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He belongs to the Theba clan, a Gujara ...

Lauren Potter Lauren Elizabeth Potter (born May 10, 1990) is an American actress, advocate, and comedian known for her role as Becky Jackson on the FOX series ''Glee''. Potter advocates for those with disabilities through organizations including AbilityPath, B ...

, Max Adler,

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

Romy Rosemont Romy Rosemont (born October 28, 1964) is an American actress, who has appeared in multiple television series, including ''Shark'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''Prison Break'', and ''Private Practice''. She got her brea ...

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

NeNe Leakes Linnethia Monique "NeNe" Leakes (; née Johnson; born December 13, 1967) is an American television personality, actress, presenter, businesswoman, author, and fashion designer. Born in Queens, New York and raised in Athens, Georgia, she is best ...

Ivonne Coll Ivonne Coll Mendoza (born June 18, 1947) is a Puerto Rican actress. She was Miss Puerto Rico in 1967 and competed in the Miss Universe pageant the same year. She later became an actress, appearing in films such as ''The Godfather Part II'' and ' ...

Jonathan Groff Jonathan Drew Groff (born March 26, 1985) is an American actor and singer . He began his career on Broadway, rising to prominence for his portrayal of Melchior Gabor in the original production of '' Spring Awakening'' (2006-2008), for which h ...

Vanessa Lengies Vanessa Lengies (born July 21, 1985) is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is known for starring in the drama ''American Dreams'' as Roxanne Bojarski. She appeared as Charge Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama ''HawthoRNe'', and ha ...

Ashley Fink Ashley Rae Fink (born November 20, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Lauren Zizes in the television series ''Glee'' and as Carter McMahon in ''Huge''. Personal life Ashley Rae Fink was born in Houston, Texas ...

Samuel Larsen Samuel Peter Acosta Larsen (born August 28, 1991) is an American actor and singer. On August 21, 2011, Larsen won the reality competition program ''The Glee Project'' on the Oxygen network, which led to his having a recurring role as Joe Hart on t ...

, and

Dijon Talton Dijon Hendra Talton is an American producer, actor, singer and director. He won several awards as part of the cast of ''Glee'', and has since continued to play small roles on television and film, as well as producing through his company The Talt ...

. Five new major recurring characters were introduced: Roderick (Noah Guthrie), a shy teenager with a good voice, Spencer Porter (

Marshall Williams Marshall Williams (born July 31, 1989) is a Canadian actor and model. He is best known for his role as Spencer Porter on '' Glee'', and Albert Banks in ''How to Build a Better Boy''. Life and career Marshall Williams was born in Winnipeg, Manit ...

), a "post-modern gay" football player, Jane Hayward (

Samantha Marie Ware Samantha Marie Ware (born September 3, 1991), also known by her singer stage name Sameya, is an American actress and singer. She is best known for portraying Jane Hayward in the sixth season of ''Glee'' (2015), as well as Angela Archer in the ...

), an ambitious girl who originally intends to join the Warblers, and twins Mason (Billy Lewis Jr.) and Madison McCarthy (

Laura Dreyfuss Laura Catherine Dreyfuss (born August 22, 1988) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Zoe Murphy in the Broadway musical ''Dear Evan Hansen'', Madison McCarthy on the FOX musical series ''Glee'' and McAfee Westbrook on the Ne ...

), cheerleaders who are strange but positive.

The Wanted The Wanted are a British-Irish boy band consisting of group members Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes and, until his death in 2022, Tom Parker (singer), Tom Parker. The group was formed in 2009 and signed a worldw ...

Max George Maximillian Albert George (born 6 September 1988) is an English singer, best known as the lead singer of the boy band The Wanted. George started his career as a footballer, playing for Preston North End. After an injury ended his football car ...

plays Clint, the villainous new Vocal Adrenaline lead singer.

Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series ''L.A. Law'' ...

guest starred as Walter, Kurt's brief love interest who is in his 50s.

Josie Totah Josie Totah (born August 5, 2001), formerly known as J. J. Totah, is an American actress. She is known for her recurring role on the Disney Channel series '' Jessie'' and supporting role on the 2013 ABC comedy series '' Back in the Game''. Tot ...

plays Myron Muskovitz, a spoiled but talented 13-year-old tween and

Finneas O'Connell Finneas Baird O'Connell (born July 30, 1997), known mononymously as Finneas (stylized in all caps), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his sister, B ...

plays Alistair, the love interest for Spencer. Special guest stars include

Ken Jeong Kendrick Kang-Joh Jeong (, ; born July 13, 1969) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, producer, writer and licensed physician. He rose to prominence for playing Leslie Chow in ''The Hangover'' film series (2009–2013) and Ben Chang in the ...

and

Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in American Pie (series), ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), Legally Blonde (franchise), ''Legally Bl ...

as Brittany's parents, and

Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress. She has had roles in the films ''Cocktail (1988 film), Cocktail'' (1988), ''Red Heat (1988 film), Red Heat'' (1988), ''Showgirls'' (1995), ''Bound (1996 film), Bound'' (1996), ''Face/ ...

as Blaine's mother. Michael Bolton, Geraldo Rivera, and Carnie Wilson appear as themselves. Carol Burnett reprises her role as Doris, Sue's mother, for the first time since the second season.

Reception

Critical response

The opening of the season was received with positive reviews from critics, most of them remarking how it reminds them of ''Glee''s first seasons. The sixth-season premiere was the lowest watched season premiere in the show's history, with a rating of 2.34 and in adults 18-49 the premiere scored a 0.7/2. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gives the sixth season a 72% with an average rating of 5.77/10, based on 18 reviews. The site's critics consensus reads, "The band plays on in a truncated final season that is a little daffier and overstuffed than where ''Glee'' began, but some disciplined storytelling and sweetly rendered character arcs harmonizes one grande finale that will hearten the New Directions' faithful."

Episodes

Production

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Ratings

Live + SD Ratings

Home media releases

References