Warm reception for Ryan Murphy's 'Glee'

TCA -- It's an hourlong comedy. And a musical. Yet the trailer for Ryan Murphy's "Glee" looks so-crazy-it-just-might-work. The clips shown at press tour are sharply written and emotionally on target, though critics who have seen the full pilot worry it will have narrow appeal.

The "Nip/Tuck" creator is oddly appropriate for this sunny project, since a cynical wit is a nice counterbalance for a show that showcases high school kids singing and dancing as they try to build a glee club.

“I wanted to do something that was lighter and more optimistic,” Murphy says. “But it also has some subversiveness in it ... it’s merging things that are wildly optimistic but also have an edge.”

Murphy says the series has a lot in common with its powerhouse lead-in, “American Idol,” since both employ Top 40 songs that viewers will be familiar with.

Should “Glee” get renewed, each season will follow one year at the school, with this spring’s debut season concluding with the glee club making the regional finals.