''GLOW'' is an American

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 ...

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series created by

Liz Flahive Liz Flahive is an American playwright, television producer and writer. Beginning her career as a playwright, Flahive wrote two plays, ''From Up Here'' and ''The Madrid''. She acted as a producer, executive story editor, and writer on ''Nurse Jack ...

and

Carly Mensch Carly Mensch is an American playwright, television writer, and producer. She created an Off-Broadway play called ''Len, Asleep in Vinyl'', which was later adapted into a film, '' Len and Company''. She also created a play ''Oblivion'', which pla ...

for

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. The series revolves around a fictionalization of the characters and gimmicks of the 1980s syndicated

women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a dramatic enactment of wrestling as a spectator sport. As is the norm for this sport, women's professional wrestling is organized by wrestling federations called promotions. Some promotions are exclusively for women ...

circuit

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (also known by its initials as GLOW or G.L.O.W.) is a women's professional wrestling promotion that began in 1986 (the pilot was filmed in December 1985) and has continued in various forms after it left television. C ...

(or GLOW) founded by

David McLane David B. McLane is an American businessman, known primarily as a wrestling promoter and television producer. He was the creator of the GLOW- Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and WOW-Women Of Wrestling (recognized as WOW! and WOW), both nationally ...

. The first season consists of 10 episodes and was released on June 23, 2017. On August 10, 2017, Netflix renewed the series for a second season of 10 episodes, which was released on June 29, 2018. The series was renewed on August 20, 2018, for a third season, which was released on August 9, 2019. On September 20, 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season. However, in October 2020, that decision was reversed by Netflix, and the final season was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

causing a production shutdown.

Premise

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1985, Ruth Wilder, a struggling actress, auditions along with many other women in a fledgling professional wrestling promotion called the

(GLOW). Traditionally minded in her approach to acting and highly idealistic, she clashes with GLOW's director Sam Sylvia due to his cynical demeanor and often unconventional work style. Ruth discovers early on that Sylvia has employed her former best friend, retired

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

actress Debbie Eagan to star in the show. Ruth and Debbie had fallen out with one another after Ruth had an affair with Debbie's husband, Mark, whom Debbie then divorced. The tension between the two women promises either to make or break the developing show. The series follows the personal and professional lives of the fictional show's numerous cast and crew as they navigate the 1980s in Southern California and Southern Nevada.

Cast

Main

Alison Brie Alison Brie Schermerhorn (born December 29, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of Trudy Campbell in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She gained recognition fo ...

as Ruth "Zoya the Destroya" Wilder *

Betty Gilpin Elizabeth Folan Gilpin (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan in the Netflix comedy series '' GLOW'' (2017–2019), for which she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards f ...

as Debbie "Liberty Belle" Eagan *

Sydelle Noel Sydelle Noel (; born July 16, 1985) is an American actress and former athlete, best known for her role as Cherry "Junkchain" Bang in '' GLOW''. Early life Noel was born in Hollywood, Florida. She studied at the University of Georgia on a track s ...

as Cherry "Junkchain"/"Black Magic" Bang * Britney Young as Carmen "Machu Picchu" Wade *

Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than forty ...

as Sam Sylvia * Britt Baron as Justine "Scab" Biagi (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) *

Kate Nash Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. Nash launched her music career in 2005. Her 2007 single " Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK. Her debut album, '' Made of Bricks ...

as Rhonda "Britannica" Richardson (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) *

Gayle Rankin Gayle Rankin is a Scottish actress, best known as Sheila the She-Wolf in the TV series '' GLOW''. She also played the role of Queen Victoria in ''The Greatest Showman'' and Emily Dodson in HBO's ''Perry Mason''. Early life Rankin trained at the ...

as Sheila "The She Wolf" (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) *

Kia Stevens Kia Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ring ...

as Tammé "The Welfare Queen" Dawson (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) *

Jackie Tohn Jaclyn Tohn is an American actress and musician. She is best known for playing Melanie "MelRose" Rosen on the Netflix series '' GLOW'', and for taking part in ''American Idol'' season 8, making it to Top 36 (the Semi-finals). She also took part ...

as Melanie "Melrose" Rosen (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) *

Chris Lowell Christopher Lowell (born October 17, 1984) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the roles of Stosh "Piz" Piznarski in the television series '' Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007), William "Dell" Parker in the television series '' Priva ...

as Sebastian "Bash" Howard (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)

Recurring

Introduced in season one

Bashir Salahuddin Bashir Salahuddin (born July 6, 1976) is an American actor, writer, and comedian. Early life and education Salahuddin was born and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. His father is originally from Panama and had moved to Chicago with ...

as Keith Bang *

Rich Sommer Rich Sommer (born February 2, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Crane on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men''. He is also known for his roles in the comedy-drama films '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), ''Celeste and ...

as Mark Eagan *

Sunita Mani Sunita Mani (born December 13, 1986) is an American actress, dancer and comedian. She is best known for her television roles as Trenton in the USA Network drama ''Mr. Robot'' (2015–2017) and Arthie Premkumar in the Netflix comedy '' GLOW'' (2 ...

as Arthie "Beirut the Mad Bomber" Premkumar *

Ellen Wong Ellen Wong (born January 13, 1985) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Knives Chau in the 2010 film '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', Jill "Mouse" Chen in The CW's series '' The Carrie Diaries'', and Jenny Chey in the Netflix s ...

as Jenny "Fortune Cookie" Chey *

Kimmy Gatewood Kimmy Gatewood is an American actress, director, writer and singer. Gatewood is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, and was educated at Paint Branch High School. She has been in a long-running comedy duo with fellow '' GLOW'' actress Rebekka Jo ...

as Stacey "Ethel Rosenblatt"/"Ozone" Beswick *

Rebekka Johnson Rebekka Johnson is an American actress, comedian and writer, producer from Staten Island, New York. Johnson is best known for playing Dawn Rivecca on Netflix's wrestling comedy '' GLOW''. She was featured on MTV's prank show ''Boiling Points'' ...

as Dawn "Edna Rosenblatt"/"Nuke" Rivecca *

Marianna Palka Marianna Bronislawa Barbara Palka (born 7 September 1981) is a Scottish actress, producer, director, and writer. She is the writer, director and star of the film '' Good Dick'', which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Early life and edu ...

as Reggie "Vicky the Viking" Walsh * Alex Rich as Florian Becker * Andrew Friedman as Glen Klitnick * Casey Johnson as Billy Offal *

Ravil Isyanov Ravil Akhmedullovich Isyanov (russian: Равиль Ахмедуллович Исьянов; 20 August 1962 – 29 September 2021) was a Russian actor who appeared in over 70 film and television roles, primarily in the United States. He was most ...

as Gregory *

Marc Evan Jackson Marc Evan Jackson (born August 21, 1970) is an American comedian and actor. Some of his roles include Sparks Nevada in the '' Thrilling Adventure Hour'', Kevin Cozner in '' Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (he also hosts a podcast based on the sitcom, titled ...

as Gary *

Elizabeth Perkins Elizabeth Ann Perkins (born November 18, 1960) is an American actress. Her film roles have included ''About Last Night'' (1986), '' Big'' (1988), ''Avalon'' (1990), and '' He Said, She Said'' (1991), ''The Flintstones'' (1994), ''Miracle on 34th ...

as Birdie Howard

Introduced in season two

Shakira Barrera Shakira Barrera (born 1990) is an American dancer and actress. She joined the cast of the Netflix series '' GLOW'' in its second season. Early life and education Barrera was born in Englewood, New Jersey, to Nicaraguan-American parents and att ...

as Yolanda "Junkchain" Rivas * Victor Quinaz as Russell Barroso *

Horatio Sanz Horacio Sanz (born June 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Horatio Sanz, is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian. He was a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1998 to 2006. Early life Sanz was born on June 4, 1969 in Sant ...

as Ray *

Annabella Sciorra Annabella Gloria Philomena Sciorra ( , ; born March 29, 1960) is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in '' True Love'' (1989), earning an Independent Spirit nomination for Best Female Lead. Subsequent projects include ...

as Rosalie Biagi *

Wyatt Nash Matthew Wyatt Elrod (born October 2, 1988), better known as Wyatt Nash, is an American television personality and actor. Under his birth name, he was a contestant on the 22nd season of the American competitive reality television series '' Survi ...

as Phil *

Patrick Renna Patrick Maxwell Renna (born March 3, 1979) is an American actor and film producer best known for his role as Hamilton "Ham" Porter in the 1993 baseball film The Sandlot. Some of his more recent projects include, ''Bad Roomies'', which is Patri ...

as Toby “Cupcake” Matkins *

Phoebe Strole Phoebe Kathryne Strole (born January 22, 1983 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American actress who is best known for originating the role of Anna in the 2006 Broadway musical '' Spring Awakening''. Early life Strole graduated from Southwest High ...

as Susan *

Eli Goree Eli Goree (born May 26, 1994) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Quincy in HBO's ''Ballers'', Malik in ''Da Kink in My Hair'' (2007–2009), Wells Jaha in the post-apocalyptic drama show ''The 100'' (2014–2017), Joel Goods ...

as Earnest Dawson * Paul Fitzgerald as Tom Grant

Introduced in season three

Geena Davis Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor

as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair *

Breeda Wool Breeda Wool is an American actress, writer and producer. She is best known for her roles as Lou Linklatter in the Audience crime drama series ''Mr. Mercedes'' (2017–2019) and Faith Deluth in the Lifetime/ Hulu drama series ''UnREAL'' (2015 ...

as Denise *

Kevin Cahoon Kevin Cahoon (born July 21, 1971) is an American actor, director, writer, and singer-songwriter. Early life Kevin Cahoon was born on July 21, 1971, in Houston, Texas. Cahoon began his performing career at the age of six as 'The World's Younges ...

as Bobby Barnes *

Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...

as J. J. "Tex" McCready * Nick Clifford as Paul The show's cast features several real-life professional wrestlers, most prominently Kia Stevens (Tammé), who has wrestled as Awesome Kong for TNA and

AEW AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

while wrestling as Kharma for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

. Others with formal experience include: * John Hennigan as Salty "The Sack" Johnson, a trainer who appeared in the first episode of Season 1 * Tyrus and Carlos Edwin as Carmen's wrestler brothers * Joey Ryan as a wrestler known as Mr. Monopoly * Laura James as Mr. Monopoly's valet, "Crystal" *

Alex Riley Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and commentator best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Alex Riley. He was a participant in the second season of ''NXT''. Professional wrestling ...

as a wrestler known as Steel Horse *

Brooke Hogan Brooke Ellen Bollea (born May 5, 1988), better known by her stage name Brooke Hogan, is an American television personality, singer, and actress. The daughter of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, she at one point served as an on-screen personal ...

as night club manager Amber Fredrickson * Chavo Guerrero Jr. as Chico Guapo *

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kno ...

and

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also pe ...

as unnamed wrestlers

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

, and

Gorgeous George George Raymond Wagner (March 23, 1915 – December 26, 1963) was an American professional wrestler known by his ring name Gorgeous George. In the United States, during the First Golden Age of Professional Wrestling in the 1940s–1950s, Gorgeous ...

appear in archived video footage in episodes 1 and 4.

Episodes

Production

The idea for the series came when Flahive and Mensch, who at the time were looking to make a new female-centric show, came across the 2012 documentary '' GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling''. Before this, neither woman had heard of the GLOW wrestling promotion, and they became intrigued by the premise of producing a fictionalized version of it. Both women found the storyline intriguing as a way of exploring the aftermath of the 1970s Woman's Liberation Movement, with Flahive telling ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', "We wanted to look back on the 1970s, coming out of the women's movement, and into the 1980s, and ask the question: Did it work? Did things get better?" To this end, it was important for the series to maintain a tension between whether the league was exploiting women or empowering them.

Ursula Hayden Ursula Hayden (born Ursa Bamby Hayden; March 8, 1966 – December 3, 2022) was an American professional wrestler, actress, and businesswoman. She was best known for her character Babe the Farmer's Daughter on the 1980s television show ''Gorgeous ...

, the owner of the GLOW company, served as a consultant on the series and helped Flahive and Mensch with creating the show. Hayden was also on the original 1980s promotion as Babe, the Farmer's Daughter. Chavo Guerrero Jr. of the famous

Guerrero wrestling family The Guerrero family is a Mexican-American family that has been involved with professional wrestling for three generations. The patriarch of the family, Gory Guerrero, made his debut on September 15, 1937. Members of the Guerrero family have worke ...

also served as a consultant on the series and helped train the actresses. His uncle

Mando Guerrero Armando Guerrero Llanes (born June 9, 1950), better known as Mando Guerrero, is a retired Mexican American professional wrestler. He also was the trainer for the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, an all-female professional wrestling promotion. He ...

had served in the same role for the original series. Guerrero Jr. also appeared in two episodes of the second season, including the season finale.

Filming

The series has filmed in several locations in Los Angeles; mainly in the

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...

. Chavo's Boxing Gym, which is GLOW's training grounds, was a combination of two locations: the interior was a studio set while the exterior was the rear of the San Fernando Masonic Lodge. The Pink Motel in Sun Valley was used as a stand-in for The Dusty Spur Motel, GLOW's sleeping quarters. Other notable locations include the Mayan Theater and the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 ...

. Principal production on season 2 commenced in October 2017.

Marketing

For the

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

market, Netflix España released a series of promo videos featuring singers

Marta Sánchez Marta Sánchez López (born 8 May 1966) is a Spanish singer. She has sold in excess of 10 million albums. Biography Marta was born in Madrid (Spain). Her father, Antonio Sánchez Camporro, was an Asturian opera singer. She began her musical ...

and Vicky Larraz. The first video, titled "No Controles", features Sánchez imitating Ruth's imaginary wrestler scene from the first episode. The second video has Sánchez and Larraz squaring off in the ring. For the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

market, Netflix Brasil released a promo video featuring singers

Gretchen Gretchen (, ; literal translation: "Little Grete" or "Little Greta") is a female given name of German origin that is mainly prevalent in the United States. Its popularity increased because a major character in Goethe's ''Faust'' (1808) has th ...

and Rita Cadillac auditioning for GLOW. Funko released Pop! Vinyl figures of Ruth and Debbie in mid-2018.

Canceled final season

In September 2019, Netflix renewed the show for a fourth and final season. On February 19, 2020, Alison Brie posted a photo from the set on Instagram, signaling that they were beginning production on the final episodes. In March 2020, production was shut down on the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had stopped nearly all TV and film productions in Los Angeles. They had already finished the first episode and were about to start filming the second. On October 5, 2020, creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch revealed in a statement that the fourth season was canceled and would not be completed or aired. It was explained that the show had some of the biggest obstacles to overcome as Netflix was trying to figure out how to get their shows back to work, mostly due to uncertainty about how to prevent an outbreak on set with its wrestling theme and increased COVID-19 related costs added to an already expensive budget. The earliest the show's final season would have aired was in 2022, which would have been too long of a gap for Netflix to handle, since the previous season aired in 2019.

Soundtrack

The series features several songs from the 1980s, as well as tracks from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The opening theme used for the full-length opening titles in episode 1 of each season is "

The Warrior A warrior is a person engaged or experienced in warfare, or a figurative term for a person who shows or has shown great vigor, courage, or aggressiveness, as in politics or athletics. Warrior or Warriors may also refer to: Indigenous groups * ...

" by

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

. ;Season 1 songs # "

You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" is a 1978 song by American disco/ R&B singer Sylvester. It was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester, and released as the second single from Sylvester's fourth album, '' Step II'' (1978). The song was already ...

" by Sylvester # "

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" is a song performed by Journey, recorded for their album '' Frontiers'' and released as a single on January 5, 1983. It peaked at #8 for six consecutive weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and spent four week ...

" by

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

# "

Stir It Up "Stir It Up" is a song composed by Bob Marley in 1967 and first recorded by the group Bob Marley and the Wailers that year and issued as a single. It was later covered by American singer Johnny Nash on his 1972 album ''I Can See Clearly Now' ...

" by

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...

# "

The Look "The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. I ...

" by

Roxette Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...

# "We Don't Get Along" by

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

# "4-3-1" by The Jetzons # "Every Little Bit" by

Jackie James Jackie James is a Scottish singer/songwriter and keyboard player. James wrote the Million seller, " Heartbeat" for the group Steps, and went on to write more songs for the group. She has also written songs for Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez and ...

# "

Life in a Northern Town "Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band the Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It is from their self-titled debut studio album ''The Dream Academy''. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake ...

" by

The Dream Academy The Dream Academy were a British band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist (chiefly oboe, cor anglais player) Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit singles ...

# "

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" is a song written and recorded by Billy Joel originally appeared on his 1977 album '' The Stranger''. The track details the singer's disgust with the upwardly mobile bourgeois aspirations of working- and lower-middle- ...

" by

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

# " Head Over Heels" by

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath, England, in 1981 by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the new wav ...

# "Make That Money (Scrooge’s Song)" by

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

# "

Rock You Like a Hurricane "Rock You Like a Hurricane" is a song by the German hard rock band Scorpions, considered their signature song. The song was released as the lead single from their ninth studio album, '' Love at First Sting'' (1984). It was written by Klaus Meine, ...

(2011 Re-recording)" by

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

# "Ready Steady Go" by

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western world, Western demographic Cohort (statistics), cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years a ...

# "Dare" by

Stan Bush Stan Bush (born July 10, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and rock musician. He is perhaps best-known for his song " The Touch", featured in the 1986 movie '' The Transformers: The Movie''. Career Bush began with his first studio album ...

# "

Theme of Exodus "Theme of ''Exodus''" is a song composed and performed by Ernest Gold. It serves as the main theme song to Otto Preminger's epic film ''Exodus'', based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Leon Uris, which tells the story of founding of the mo ...

" by Ernest Gold # "Angel" by The Jetzons # "

Under Pressure "Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's 1982 album ''Hot Space''. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, ...

" by

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

# "

Car Wash A car wash, carwash, or auto wash is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior of motor vehicles. Car washes can be self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or fully automated (possi ...

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Rose Royce Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Career Th ...

# " Magic Moments" by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

# " Things Can Only Get Better" by Howard Jones # "

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 drama film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy / martial arts TV movie starring Billy Zane ...

" by

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

;Season 2 songs # "

You May Be Right "You May Be Right" is a song written and performed by rock singer Billy Joel, released as a single from his 1980 album '' Glass Houses''. The single reached No. 7 on the US charts and No. 6 in Canada. It failed to chart, however, in the UK unli ...

" by Billy Joel # "

Just Like Honey "Just Like Honey" is a song by the Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain from their 1985 debut album '' Psychocandy''. The track was released as the third single from the record through Blanco y Negro Records in September 1985. ...

" by

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

# " It's Like That" by

Run-DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

# "Sweat" by The System # " Situation" by Yazoo # "Baby You Got It" by

Brenton Wood Alfred Jesse Smith (born July 26, 1941), better known as Brenton Wood, is an American singer and songwriter known for his two 1967 hit song, hit single (music), singles, "The Oogum Boogum Song" (peaking at No. 34 on the US ''Billboard (magazin ...

# "

You're All I Need to Get By "You're All I Need to Get By" is a song recorded by the American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and released on Motown Records' Tamla label in 1968. It was the basis for the 1995 single "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Ge ...

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Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

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Smalltown Boy "Smalltown Boy" is a song by British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 as the first single from their debut album, '' The Age of Consent'' (1984). The song was a big commercial success, reaching number three in the band's nativ ...

" by Bronski Beat # " I Know What Boys Like" by

The Waitresses The Waitresses were an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping." They released two albums, ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' and '' Bruiseology'', and two EPs, '' I Co ...

# " Far From Over" by

Frank Stallone Francesco Stallone Jr. (born July 30, 1950) is an American actor and musician. He is the younger brother of actor Sylvester Stallone and has written music for Sylvester's movies. His song " Far from Over" appeared in the 1983 film '' Staying Al ...

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You Make My Dreams "You Make My Dreams" is a song by the American duo Hall & Oates, taken from their ninth studio album, '' Voices'' (1980). The song reached number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1981. The track received 154,000 digital sales between ...

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Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

# " Destination Unknown" by

Missing Persons A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

# "Makeover" by the GLOW Girls # "Don't Kidnap" by the GLOW Girls # "

Kyrie Kyrie, a transliteration of Greek , vocative case of (''Kyrios''), is a common name of an important prayer of Christian liturgy, also called the Kyrie eleison ( ; ). In the Bible The prayer, "Kyrie, eleison," "Lord, have mercy" derives f ...

" by Mr. Mister # "Cross My Heart" by Richard Myhill # "Can't You See the World Through My Eyes?" by Donnie Barren # "

Don't You Want Me "Don't You Want Me" is a song by British synthpop group the Human League (credited on the cover as The Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album, '' Dare'' (1981). The band's best ...

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The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

# " Crazy for You" by

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

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Man on the Corner "Man on the Corner" is a 1981 song by British rock band Genesis, released as a single on 5 March 1982. The song was written and sung by drummer Phil Collins. It peaked at No. 41 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 40 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot ...

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Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

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Chapel of Love "Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.Whitburn, Joel (2009). ''Top Pop Singles 1955-2008'' ...

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The Dixie Cups The Dixie Cups (formerly known as The Meltones) are an American pop music girl group of the 1960s. They are best known for a string of hits including their 1964 million-selling record "Chapel of Love", " People Say", and "Iko Iko". Career ...

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Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is a song co-written by Diane Warren and Albert Hammond and recorded by American rock band Starship for their second studio album, '' No Protection'' (1987). It is a power ballad duet featuring vocalists Grace Sl ...

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;Season 3 songs # "

Quando quando quando "Quando quando quando" (or "Quando, Quando, Quando", ; "When, When, When") is an Italian pop song from 1962, in the bossa nova style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa. The song, originally recorded in two different ...

" by Engelbert Humperdinck # "Baby Let Me Kiss You" by

Fern Kinney Fern Kinney (born Fern Kinney-Lewis, July 11, 1949), is an American R&B and disco singer, who is best remembered for her releases, " Groove Me" and " Together We Are Beautiful". Career Born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, Kinney orig ...

# "Disorder" by

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

# "Big Mess" by

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...

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Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

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Light of a Clear Blue Morning "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" is a song written and recorded by American entertainer Dolly Parton. The song first appeared on her 1977 '' New Harvest...First Gathering'' album, and provided a top twenty country music hit for her as a single. As ...

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Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

# "When the Chips Are Down" by

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

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Cities in Dust "Cities in Dust" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees from their seventh studio album, '' Tinderbox'' (1986). It was released on 18 October 1985 as the album's lead single. Background and composition "Cities in Dust" is a ...

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Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

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Barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was ...

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Running Up That Hill "Running Up That Hill", titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" on some releases, is a song by the British singer and songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Bush's album '' Hounds of Love'' o ...

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Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

Quiet Riot Quiet Riot is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The original lineup featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew F ...

's cover of " Cum On Feel the Noize" was used for the Season 1 trailer, while "

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

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Michael Sembello Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song "M ...

was used for the Season 2 trailer and " Listen to Your Heart" by Roxette for the Season 3 trailer. Songs covered by the cast include the

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were a British Pop music, pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a New wave music, new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string ...

' " Hold Me Now" and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...

's " This Is One of Those Moments".

Reception

Critical response

''GLOW'' was praised by critics upon its release. On

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 ...

, season 1 has a 94% approval rating with an average score of 7.66/10 based on 107 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "With spot-on 1980s period detail, knockout writing, and a killer cast, ''GLOW'' shines brightly." The first season has a

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

score of 81 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Darren Franich of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' gave the first season an A rating, calling it "a silly-smart masterpiece, with an ensemble cast entirely made up of breakout characters". Sophie Gilbert of ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' said, "...it’s just a blast to watch women having so much fun. ''GLOW'' fully owns its campiness and its showy aesthetics, but it’s smart and subversive underneath the glitter." The second season received even higher critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, season 2 has a 98% approval rating with an average score of 8.77/10 based on 84 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fearlessly led by its excellent ensemble, ''GLOW''s second season adds a new layer of drama without sacrificing its self-effacing, delightfully silly humor." The second season has a Metacritic score of 85 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has an 86% approval rating with an average score of 8/10 based on 65 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "''GLOW'' dives even deeper into the lives of its divas to deliver a knock-out third season that solidifies its place as one of TV's most compelling—and hilarious—character studies." The third season has a Metacritic score of 80 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Pro-wrestling community response

The series received mixed reactions from some of the original GLOW wrestlers.

Jeanne Basone Jeanne Basone (born May 19, 1969) is an American professional wrestler, actress, model and stuntwoman best known by her ring name Hollywood in the women's wrestling promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, founded by David McLane. Hollywood won ...

, who wrestled in the promotion as "Hollywood", commented that "Some of the training and the gym and the outfits they get correct." Patricia Summerland, who played "Sunny the California Girl" in the promotion, saw Marc Maron's character Sam Sylvia as a stark contrast to original GLOW director

Matt Cimber Matt Cimber (born Thomas Vitale Ottaviano; 1936) is an American producer, director, writer, and occasional actor in films, television, and theatre. He is known for directing genre films including '' The Candy Tangerine Man, The Witch Who Ca ...

. Eileen O'Hara, who was known as "Melody Trouble Vixen (MTV)", felt that the series did not properly acknowledge how groundbreaking they were.

Lisa Moretti Lisa Mary Moretti (born November 26, 1961) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE between 1999 and 2005 under the ring name Ivory. Moretti is a three-time champion in WWE, and was inducted into the W ...

, who competed as "Tina Ferrari" and would go on to the greatest fame among GLOW alumnae as Ivory in the WWF/WWE as a three-time

WWF Women's Champion WWF may refer to: Non-profit organizations *World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group *World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues *Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...

during the

Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a ...

, said that she was relieved that the series isn't a documentary because it was more entertaining to have a mix between fact and fiction. More positive reception came from mainstream wrestling figures including

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...

. Ethan Sapienza of ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' noted accurate comparisons between the series and WWE as well as the various regional promotions that made up the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA ...

during its heyday.

Accolades

Comic book

A four-issue

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series based on the show was released in March 2019 by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

, written by Tini Howard and illustrated by Hannah Templer. Flahive and Mensch served as executive producers on the comics. A second four-issue series by IDW Publishing, ''GLOW vs. The Babyface'', co-written by former professional wrestler AJ Mendez and actress

Aimee Garcia Aimee Sandimés Garcia López de Ordóñez (born November 28, 1978) is an American actress and writer. She is known for her television roles as Veronica Palmero on the ABC sitcom ''George Lopez'', Yvonne Sanchez on the CBS period drama ''Veg ...

and illustrated by Templer, published its first issue in November 2019, with issues 2-4 released from December 2019 through February 2020.

In media

, Britney Young,

and

made a cameo appearance as their ''GLOW'' characters in the music video for the 2017

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

song " Swish Swish".

References

External links

* * {{Women's professional wrestling 2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2017 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings American action comedy television series American professional wrestling television series HIV/AIDS in television Lesbian-related television shows English-language Netflix original programming Television productions cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television series about actors Television series about television Television series based on actual events Television series set in the 1980s Television series set in 1985 Television series set in 1986 Television shows filmed in Los Angeles Television shows set in Los Angeles Television shows set in the Las Vegas Valley Women's professional wrestling

Premise

Cast

Main

Recurring

Introduced in season one

Introduced in season two

Introduced in season three

Episodes

Production

Filming

Marketing

Canceled final season

Soundtrack

Reception

Critical response

Pro-wrestling community response

Accolades

Comic book

In media

See also

References

External links