 and Jenna Ushkowitz (who played Tina Cohen-Chang), Murphy revealed that the Glee club director was originally intended to be a teacher that was 'unravelling'. 'In Ian's original script, it was a very dark comedy that had the idea of it,' Murphy said. 'Ian and I were both in choir. And Mr. Schue, I believe, was a crystal meth addict in Ian's script.' It turns out the teacher's interest in teenagers was also a lot more sinister to begin with. 'Wasn't he also doing, wasn't he touching the children or something?' McHale asked, to which Murphy replied 'yes'. He added that the original script was similar to Reese Witherspoon's black comedy Election. 'But like the NC-17 version of show choir but like with a weird protagonist who was unravelling,' Murphy continued. Before Glee hit our screens in 2009, Murphy was best known for creating the medical drama Nip/Tuck, and had next intended to work on a project about a transgender woman called Pretty/Handsome, but it was not picked up. He then set his sights on working on a show that was a bit more light-hearted, and while the pilot was written with Justin Timberlake in mind to play the teacher, it was Matthew Morrison who ended up being cast in the musical comedy-drama. 'What I loved was the idea of kids in high school and one of the things I have since learnt in my career is that it seems like shows that work very often feature people going though 'first times' . . . like a fi){kind=link}
Glee’s beloved music teacher Mr. Schuester might be remembered for his dedication to his students, but it turns out was first written to be a meth addict with an unhealthy interest in teenagers.
Creator Ryan Murphy has revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets of the show, which he first got involved with after being handed the script in a gym.
Originally written by Ian Brennan, Glee was first pitched as a dark comedy.
Speaking on the first episode of the podcast And That’s What You REALLY Missed, hosted by Glee actors Kevin McHale (who played Artie Abrams) and Jenna Ushkowitz (who played Tina Cohen-Chang), Murphy revealed that the Glee club director was originally intended to be a teacher that was ‘unravelling’.
‘In Ian’s original script, it was a very dark comedy that had the idea of it,’ Murphy said.