With music that's arguably even better, Glee also takes a dramatic turn in its second season, mixing some tough issues into its combination of musical performance and offbeat comedy. Most prominent is the topic of gay bullying, as Kurt (Chris Colfer) becomes the target of a macho football player. Around the same time, Kurt's trip to scout a rival group from nearby Dalton Academy leads to the season's most electric moment, a rendition of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" by a men's group called the Warblers, which became the show's bestselling single ever, and the relationship between Kurt and the Warblers' lead singer, Blaine (Darren Criss), becomes the season's heart. Other relationships develop and become complicated, involving Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Artie (Kevin McHale), Brittany (Heather Morris), Santana (Naya Rivera), Puck (Mark Salling), Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) as well as new additions Sam (Chord Overstreet) and Lauren (Ashley Fink). And the relationship between Will (Matthew Morrison) and Emma (Jayma Mays) runs into a roadblock in the person of a handsome dentist (John Stamos).

The season is an uneven one, losing steam with the Britney Spears tribute episode and some excruciating plot lines, then having slightly more success with themed episodes (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Christmas, and the cleverly handled episode involving Justin Bieber, of all people). Fresh energy came from the new students, guest star Gwyneth Paltrow as substitute teacher Holly Holliday, and new football coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones), who even inspires a temporary alliance between Will and Sue (Jane Lynch). The show relied less on Broadway tunes and more on classic rock and contemporary pop (Lady Antebellum, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Lady Gaga) and even introduced its own original songs, the best of which ("Get It Right," "Loser Like Me") are unveiled in the regionals. Morrison and Michele aren't featured nearly as prominently as they were in the first season, but Michele still crushes her big numbers like "Get It Right" and Katy Perry's "Firework," and she participates in dazzling duets with Amber Riley ("Take Me for What I Am") and Agron ("Unpretty/I Feel Pretty"). Other showstopping moments from the season include Rivera's "Valerie," Rivera and Riley's "River Deep, Mountain High," Overstreet and Agron's "Lucky," Paltrow's "Forget You" and "Landslide," the group rendition of My Chemical Romance's "Sing," and almost anything by the Warblers (voiced by Tufts University's Beelzebubs), especially Pink's "Raise Your Glass" and Neon Trees' "Animal." (Parental discretion advised due to mature themes) --David Horiuchi