Fox gives ‘Glee’ post-’American Idol’ premiere

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Fox is giving a plum post-’American Idol’ premiere to new series ‘Glee,’ a ‘Bad News Bears’-style comedy about a group of high-school glee-club misfits.

The show, which comes from Ryan Murphy (‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘Popular’), will debut May 19 at 9 p.m., following the ‘Idol’ finale, only to return at least three months later in the fall. Rather than continuing the series into the summer, the network will bring back the remaining dozen episodes when their regular broadcast season begins.

Network entertainment President Kevin Reilly said they wanted to utilize ‘’Idol’ to ‘jump-start positive buzz, which will spread over the summer and into the show’s launch in the fall.’

On Wednesday, EW.com reported that Tony-winner Kristen Chenoweth (‘Pushing Daisies’) and Victor Garber (‘Alias’) joined the cast, which already includes Jane Lynch and Broadway vets Matthew Morrison (‘Hairspray’) and Lea Michele (‘Spring Awakening’).

The project has been generating positive buzz since January’s TCA press tour, where the first episode was screened for critics. ‘An ambitious and unique show such as ‘Glee’ deserves an ambitious and unique kick-off,” Peter Liguori, chairman of Fox Broadcasting Co said.

Ryan Murphy Television will produce the show in association with 20th Century Fox TV. Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Dante Di Loreto are executive producers.

-- Denise Martin