ShareThis"Glee" -- one of the best new offerings of the fall -- serves up its long-awaited second episode (9 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Fox).
The pilot aired in May after an edition of "American Idol," and it was repeated last week. Now, after months of anticipation, we finally get to see if "Glee" can live up to its promise.
So does "Glee" sing as well this time?
While it's not quite the giddy delight the pilot was, the second and third episodes offered for review are a little slower, a little less interesting and not nearly as quirky. Still, "Glee" retains its charm and overall snarkiness.
"Glee," fostered from the mind of "Nip/Tuck" creator Ryan Murphy, is sort of the anti-"High School Musical." The kids aren't perky or optimistic or easy on each other.
They're a ragtag group of misfits who make up a high-school glee club. They are a talented lot, but, on a social level, they are low on the bar.
Even the faculty sponsor, Will (Matthew Morrison), is a bit of a loser. At home, he lets his manipulative wife push him around -- and her hold gets stronger with the announcement that she's pregnant. And at work, he's bulldozed by his boss and peers who say he's wasting his time with the glee club.
The club itself isn't exactly loaded with self-confidence. Lead singer Finn (Cory Monteith) is embarrassed by being in the group. He's a star football player, and fellow athletes give him no end of grief on his glee-club activities.
Among the standout supporting players is Jane Lynch, who, as the cheerleaders' head sponsor, is a delight.
And the music covers, always performed as part of club rehearsals, are charming and spirited. "Glee" doesn't always soar, but it's usually on pitch.
Other highlights for the week of Sept. 6-12 (all times EDT; listings subject to change; check local listings):
MONDAY
-- "Paint Over" (4 p.m., HGTV). The third-season winner of "Design Star" gets her own series.
TUESDAY
-- "The View" (11 a.m., ABC). The talk show returns for a new season, temporarily minus Elisabeth.
-- "Melrose Place" (9 p.m., CW). A new spin on the old place begins with a murder mystery.
WEDNESDAY
-- "America's Next Top Model" (8 p.m., CW). A new cycle of madness and cat-walking begins.
THURSDAY
-- "Vampire Diaries" (9 p.m., CW). A bloodsucker goes to high school and falls in love in this "Twilight"-esque drama.
SATURDAY
-- "Robin Hood" (9 p.m., BBC America). A third season of the family-friendly adventure swings by.
-- "Adoption Diaries" (10 p.m., WE). The stories of birth mothers and the children they gave up are explored in this reality series.
(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)
TV HILIGHTS
