Cynicism may have a stranglehold on our society, our culture and mostly our television, but one show is ready to unseat it from its throne, and that show is "Glee."

In what Fox billed as a "Special Preview Event", "Glee" debuted last night after the titan of contemptuous glowering, Simon Cowell's "American Idol", with a surge of overwhelming joy not often seen outside of a child's birthday party. This is a show that harkens back to the feel good television of the 50s and 60s with a format that nonetheless seems ahead of its time.

The harried pilot introduced us to Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), a high school Spanish teacher languishing in the suburban ennui of a nagging wife and job that only makes him long for something he lost with his youth. He sees an opportunity to recapture his missing pieces by taking over the school's glee club, once the crown jewel of the school's extracurricular activities that has sense fallen into obscurity.

He quickly assembles a ragtag show choir filled with a quartet of caricatures (the bigger-than-life black girl, (Amber Riley) the impossibly effeminate gay boy (Chris Colfer), the wheelchair-bound geek (Kevin McHale), and the girl with the outlandish stutter (Jenna Ushkowitz)) and two lead singers. The first of these is a girl who believes she was bred for perfection (Lea Michele), with a MySpace page to prove it. The second Schuester lures from the football team by planting marijuana in the quarterback's locker and telling him (Cory Monteith) nobody will find out if he joins the club.

Image © Glee: Pictured clockwise from L: Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Lea Michele (C), Jenna Ushkowitz, Cory Monteith and Kevin McHale.
© 2009 Fox Broadcasting Co. CR: Matthias Clamer/FOX

This is the best Schuester can do at a school dominated by the misogynist persecution of the football team and the Nazi-like efficiency of the school's latest sensation, The Cheer-ios, a competitive cheerleading squad coached by Sue Sylvester (the ever-brilliant Jane Lynch). With the encouragement of an OCD career center worker (Paul Blart's Jayma Mays) and despite the misgivings of a principal who doesn't seem to care about anything (Iqbal Theba), Schuester works the kids into something resembling a glee club until their confidence is shattered by the region's top team.

If that weren't enough, Schuester's wife ("Heroes" star Jessalyn Gilsig) has come down with a case of the babies, necessitating a move away from teaching for the intrepid glee club coach. This leads him into a state of self-despair until he happens upon a self-organized performance by his show choir of "Don't Stop Believin'" that renews his determination and love for the club that he says brought him the greatest moment of his life in high school.

"Glee" is like a malfunctioning Ferris Wheel - a joyride that just won't stop. It's impossible to watch this pilot and not feel at the same time inspired by the hope of its characters and delighted by the sheer fun of it all.

The music is killer, particularly an ironically joyous rendition of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab", and the actors inhabit their characters with an enthusiasm that allows the series to flirt with corniness without ever crossing that dreaded line. The earnestness of their performances allows the series creators (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan) to bend the laws of cheesiness with reckless abandon. Somehow, it all seems realistic in the world of these characters.

In a world of cynicism, "Glee" is incredibly optimistic, showing us that we needn't look down on life to find entertainment therein. Instead, we can fully embrace the hope and joy that we all try to hide for fear of embarrassment and let it fly high. This is reaction the series inspires - one of incessant buoyancy where if we follow our passion maybe things can just work out.

And what's so bad about that?

Story by Andrew Payne

Starpulse contributing writer