When Ben Platt belted out Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi” with the strings section lifting him up like he was rising to heaven, the internet stood still and watched in awe, as if these were our final moments on planet earth and we were all perfectly happy to die with Platt’s heavenly voice pulsating through us. His performance was theatrical, oddly sincere, and just crazy enough to feel like something we concocted in a fever dream. To put it plainly, it was pure, uncut Glee energy.
Glee TV Show. Image: Disney.
Glee, for all of its flaws, understood the tricky balance between sincerity and camp. Its storylines were completely unhinged, from Sue Sylvester marrying herself to Mr. Schuester having an underage student teach the Glee club how to twerk. The chaos was so over-the-top that “Are these Glee storylines real or fake?” became a viral conversation topic, and even The Guardian asked, “How did this ever get made?”.
The Glee Club Twerking Whilst Performing “Blurred Lines”.
Yet underneath the absurdity, Glee had heart. Only it could have Finn’s crisis of faith after his knee injury being triggered by seeing Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich, a “Grilled Cheesus” if you will, with a storyline exploring what faith meant to the entire Glee club. The show practically somersaulted on the tightrope between camp and sincerity with reckless brilliance. Since its 2015 finale, there’s been a Glee shaped void in the cultural landscape where over the top musical numbers once lived.
Finn praying to his “Grilled Cheesus”. Image: Pinterest.
Platt’s “Diet Pepsi” is more than just a cover, it’s a cry for help. It reminds us that deep down, we crave spectacle. We crave show choir choreography for songs that shouldn’t be choreographed and emotional key changes for lyrics about carbonated beverages. Sure, TikTok delivers campy creativity like Ratatouille: The Musical TikTok, but even social media can’t replicate the wild, emotional whiplash of a 40-minute Glee episode.
Some may argue that Glee should be left in the 2010s, that it couldn’t survive today’s cancel culture. In fact, some critics were calling for its end even before the finale, with headlines like “4 Reasons Why Glee Should be Cancelled” circulating the web. But in 2025, when our culture is defined by algorithmic sameness and doom scrolling that leaves us feeling overstimulated and empty inside, Glee is exactly the kind of unpredictable, high drama spectacle we’re missing. Platt reminded us of what we’ve all secretly been craving: theatrically emotional chaos. If this isn’t a plea for a Glee reboot, I don’t know what is.
Sue Sylvester’s iconic catchphrase: “And That’s How Sue Sees It!” from her segment “Sue’s Corner”. Image: Pinterest.
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Alexander Hanjin De Filippo 
Eabha Quinn