GLEE

In its sophomore season, GLEE is a biting musical comedy that has quickly become a pop-culture phenomenon. This season's No. 1 entertainment series among Teens and a Top 3 series among Adults 18-49 and 18-34 boasts critical acclaim, a loyal fan base of "GLEEks," two Platinum and two Gold albums, two Grammy Award nominations, more than 16 million song downloads, the record for the most titles on the Billboard Hot 100 by a non-solo act (beating out The Beatles), the No. 1 soundtrack of 2010 ("The Christmas Album"), an incredible 19 Emmy and 11 Golden Globe nominations - earning it the distinction of being the most-nominated series of the year - and four Emmy Awards. To top it off, the genre-defying, award-winning series has been picked up through its third season.

GLEE took home four Emmy awards in 2010, including one for Ryan Murphy for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and one for Jane Lynch for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The series has also been honored with a Peabody Award; a Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical; a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series; and a People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy. Recently, the series' producers were nominated for an award by Producers Guild of America. The cast has performed for the President and First Lady at the White House, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," sang the national anthem at the World Series, graced the covers of Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone and took the show on the road with a sold-out U.S. concert tour. This February, GLEE tackles Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in a special episode airing after SUPER BOWL XLV.

The glee club's fearless leader is WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison), a talented young teacher with hip-hop skills and a heart of gold. New Directions' aspiring stars include RACHEL (Lea Michele), a pitch-perfect singer with an unfaltering determination to be popular; FINN (Cory Monteith), the heartbreakingly cool quarterback who struggles with his personal life; KURT (Chris Colfer), the baby-faced soprano with a fierce eye for fashion; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a powerhouse vocalist whose diva attitude rivals the greats; ARTIE (Kevin McHale), a physically disabled performer with killer vocals and a dream to dance; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz), a goth chick with a soft side. There's also arrogant and cocky crooner PUCK (Mark Salling); ice-cold queen-bee-turned-teen-mom QUINN (Dianna Agron); and the dynamic dimwitted cheerleading duo of BRITTANY (Heather Morris) and SANTANA (Naya Rivera). With his heart in the right place, Will is determined to help the kids take Nationals, but at every turn he must battle with his nemesis, SUE SYLVESTER (Jane Lynch), the conniving cheerleading coach; and his evil ex-wife, TERRI (Jessalyn Gilsig). Mr. Schuester's only allies at McKinley are OCD-afflicted guidance counselor EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays) and supportive parents like Kurt's dad, BURT HUMMEL (Mike O'Malley).

In addition to the regular cast, GLEE has featured guest appearances by a wide range of talented performers, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Carol Burnett, John Stamos, Britney Spears, Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Molly Shannon, Olivia Newton-John and Neil Patrick Harris, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his work on the show.

1. GLEE is produced by Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are co-creators of the series. Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan and Dante Di Loreto serve as executive producers.