ID takes a look at The Price of Glee in three-part limited series
By Carla Davis
For six seasons, Glee entertained us with the hijinks of the glee club students at McKinley High. Now, ID is bringing us The Price of Glee, a three-part limited series that promises to explore the tragedies that befell several of the cast and crew members.
Throughout its run, Glee tackled issues such as teen pregnancy, coming out as gay / bisexual, addiction and dealing with STDs. Two of the characters had Down Syndrome, a storyline that was addressed sensitively and increased awareness of the condition.
Created by Ryan Murphy, who would bring us American Horror Story in 2011, Glee dove into the teen angst and musical talent amongst Rachel, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, Puck, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Mike and Blaine. There were adults in the cast as well, but three of the younger cast members suffered tragic deaths in the years during Glee‘s run and after the series’ end.
32-year-old Corey Monteith (Finn) died of an alcohol and heroin overdose in 2013, while the series was still on the air. Though he had been in recovery, he relapsed and his body was found in a Vancouver hotel room.
The Price of Glee will cover not only Monteith’s untimely death, but also the deaths of two other main cast members.
Shortly after Glee ended its run, Mark Salling (Puck) was arrested for possession of child pornography. As part of a plea deal, he pled guilty, but six weeks before his scheduled sentencing date, Salling hung himself.
In July of 2020, Naya Rivera (Santana) rented a boat at Lake Piru, taking her four-year-old-son Josey with her. When she failed to return the boat, a crew was sent to search for her, and they found the boat with only her son inside. Josey told investigators that the two went for a swim, and she helped him back on the boat before going under water and never coming back up. Her body was found five days later.
Though it’s uncertain if they will be addressed, two other people in the Glee universe have died tragically as well. Robin Trocki, who played Sue’s sister Jean, died from Alzheimer’s disease, and Production Assistant Nancy Motes took her own life at age 37.
The Price of Glee will take a good hard look at how fame and the pressure of sudden stardom affected the cast members. Friends and relatives of the cast, as well as behind-the-scenes crew members will offer their personal stories and insites, and exclusive clips will be presented. All three parts will premiere on Monday, January 16, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET on ID, and will also be available the same day to stream on discovery+.
Were you a Gleek? If so, will you be watching The Price of Glee on ID? Tell us what you think about it in the comments section.