Glee isnt perfect.

. . . which seems like a strange way to begin the introduction to an anthology celebrating the show, but stick with me.

I love Glee. Very little lifts my mood like the clip of the McKinley football players dancing to Beyonc. Theres no show I get more excited to watch. But Glee doesnt always live up to my (deservedly) high expectations. In those rare moments where I find myself frustrated with the show, its usually because Glee has too much going on: Too many subplots to devote the deserved amount of time to any one of them. Too many characters to let us get to know them the way we want to.

Glee packs a lot into a small space. The show pulls songs from more than half a dozen decades and a surprising number of musical genres. The comedy and drama are packed shoulder to shoulder, jockeying for position. Sometimes things tip over too far one way or the other: Certain scenes are so heartwarming as to feel saccharine. Others are so over-the-top that they no longer ring as true and lose their satirical power. Occasionally these two things happen in the same subplot.

But when Glee works—when the show hits exactly the right balance and all the various notes come together perfectly? To exploit the opportunity for a good musical pun: it sings. When Glee harmonizes its sharp tongue and earnest heart, it has a power like nothing else to touch, to inspire, to entertain.

Thats  …