According to Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Glee,” Justin Timberlake was the target audience for Mr. Schue.
In the first episode of their new iHeart Radio podcast “And That’s What You REALLY Missed,” Kevin McHale, who played Artie Abrams in the popular television show “Glee,” and Jenna Ushkowitz, who portrayed Tina Cohen-Chang, welcomed Murphy as a guest.
Murphy said that Timberlake was a candidate for the main role, Mr. William “Schue” Schuester, a Spanish teacher who starts a show choir at his school, when questioned about casting for the pilot series.
“I’ve never really said this, but Justin Timberlake was the target audience when we were writing the pilot. Written for Justin, Mr. Schue “McGurgan remarked.
The remainder of the conversation with Murphy will be covered in a second episode that will run the following week, but before he could go any farther, McHale and Ushkowitz cut the show off.
Murphy previously went into detail on the origins of “Glee” in the podcast. He claimed to have recently begun working with Fox, where he discussed developing a musical TV project with former CEO Dana Walden.
Murphy said that up until someone approached him wearing a towel and handed him a screenplay for “Glee,” he had been unsuccessfully trying to make a musical work on television.
As we were having these discussions, he added, “I was trying to figure it out.” “I went to the gym and, by some strange coincidence, a man approached me while I was wearing a towel, gave me a script, and said, “I had a hunch you were in show choir, am I right?” And I said, “Yeah.””
And he said, “My buddy wrote this screenplay, and you should read it,” Murphy said.
Murphy said that after reading the screenplay, he realized it was the ideal concept for a musical; nevertheless, co-creator Ian Brennan’s first draft of the script had a considerably grimmer tone than the show’s final version.
Murphy stated, “I think Mr. Schue was a crystal meth addict in Ian’s screenplay. The show choir parody rated NC-17 had an odd protagonist who was disintegrating.
McHale continued by saying that Mr. Schue would also improperly touch his pupils.
Murphy said that he requested Brennan to revise the screenplay so that the program would be less “dark” and more “pop-y.”
The acclaimed author stated, “I simply need something hopeful.
Initially, viewers adored the show, but in subsequent years, many have voiced criticism about Mr. Schue’s (Matthew Morrison) dubious behavior throughout the program. For instance, Mr. Schue learns that another teacher is selling drugs at the school in the pilot episode. However, instead of reporting the instructor, Mr. Schue frames and blackmails another kid to force him to join his show choir.