'Glee' is something to sing about this TV season

"Glee" had me from the get-go. I came in expecting this new Fox series to be a rip-off of "High School Musical."

But no, this is the anti-"High School Musical."

The deceptively clever musical satire about misfit high school teachers and students begins its run next Wednesday on Fox. A director's cut of the pilot airs on Fox tonight.

Then on Friday at 9 p.m. the pilot episode of "Glee" will air again but this time you can Twitter live with the cast during the show. For those of you that don't use Twitter, you will still be able to keep up. All tweets will stream live on the bottom third of your television screen.

This hour-long, single-camera comedy gets darker and more twisted and more comical with subsequent episodes. There is a football game in the third episode that had me laughing out loud.

Created by Ryan Murphy, who gave us the wickedly offbeat and sexually charged "Nip/Tuck," this is the most creative new series of the season.

And while "Nip\Tuck" has no really likeable characters, "Glee" has a bunch of them.

The good guy nerds will be taking on the bullies in an over-the-top view of high school life.

"Glee" also mixes a variety of music from hip-hop to classic rock to Broadway tunes. And it works, unlike previous efforts such as "Cop Rock" and "Viva Laughlin."

"Glee" skewers many things including small-town high school life, high school football, middle-class marriage, cheerleaders, celibacy clubs, right wing politics, local television news and much more.

"Glee" features the delightful Jane Lynch ("Best in Show," Julia Child's sister in "Julie and Julia") as the wicked, power-hungry Sue Sylvester, the swaggering faculty head of the school's award-winning cheerleading squad.

Lynch plays her as brutal, cruel and confident in her meanness.

Sue is locked in combat with Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), a decent, earnest teacher who hopes to turn McKinley High's faltering glee club into state champs.

Will was on the glee club in the 1990s when it was an award-winning thing of pride and glory. But Will is a softie, a doormat walked on by just about everyone including his self-centered wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig).

He starts with a half-dozen misfits including a kid in a wheelchair, a prima donna and the gayest kid in school.

Will manages to snare the school's hunky star quarterback Finn (Cory Monteith) who is a talented singer with a good heart.

He's dating the head cheerleader Quinn (Dianna Agron) who is head of the celibacy club. But another talented singer Rachel (Lea Michele) has eyes for him.

And another teacher (Jayma Mays) has a crush on Will. She's a delicate thing with an obsession for cleanliness.

As romances smolder among the students and teachers, the McKinley glee club will be struggling to make it to the state competitions. It's going to be a fun ride.