2010 Greggys: The TV Show of the Year is “Glee”

Gee, what a surprise, right?

A friend of mine was teasing me that it was a no-brainer that as a Gleek myself, I would choose Glee to win the 2010 Greggy for TV Show of the Year without even considering other shows.

But the truth is, I did give this category some serious thought and the superb Modern Family was a close runner-up. It is not only hilarious, smart and features the best acting ensemble in television, but Cam and Mitchell are my favorite TV couple (sorry Kevin and Scotty!).

Still, Glee continued to move, entertain and inspire me in season 2 as much as it did in its first year – if not more. It just touched my LGBT heart more often than did Modern Family and far more than any other show on television although I’m encouraged by the Teddy storyline on 90210 and continue to appreciate Scotty and Kevin on Brothers & Sisters.

The characters – especially Brittany and Santana (Heather Morris and Naya Rivera) are being fleshed out more and the new cast additions have been inspired – especially Darren Criss as Blaine and Chord Overstreet as Sam.

Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester remains intriguing as the onion is slowly peeled and we are beginning to find out what motivates this miserable woman! Lea Michele as Rachel remains annoyingly self-absorbed and brilliantly talented and her big ballad solos are always a high point for me.

Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester continues to anchor the show so well by managing to be a flawed but well-meaning (and darn sexy!) teacher.

There have been some big themed episodes like the Britney Spears one and the Rocky Horror-themed Halloween show but not too many and guest stars Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos and Carol Burnett were all used nicely.

But creator Ryan Murphy has wisely stuck to the core characters who were never more unified than in the Furt episode.

And finally, there is Kurt Hummel played to perfection by Chris Colfer.

We watched Kurt come out to his friends and his family last season and struggle with his feelings for Finn (Cory Monteith) who is now his stepbrother. We have been moved to tears by the love Kurt’s dad Burt (Mike O’Malley) has for his son.

But no matter how much love and support Kurt has, he still fell victim to a self-loathing bully. Football player Dave Karofsky (Max Adler) is gay himself and kissed Kurt but then proceeded to harass and threaten him.

In the Furt episode, where Kurt’s dad and Finn’s mom got married, I was very impressed with the way that others in the school reacted to Kurt being bullied.

Mr. Schuester immediately took action when he witnessed the bullying; Kurt’s friends in Glee club confronted the bully in the locker room and Sue Sylvester, as principal, expelled the bully from school.

Said Sue to Kurt: “Lady, this kid lays a finger on you, you come straight to me and I will expel him faster than a Thai take-out place can read back your delivery order.”

A grateful Kurt then tells Sue that he doesn’t to be called Lady. She says in a soothing tone: “I’m sorry. I thought that was your name. As an apology, I’ll allow you to choose from the following nicknames: Gelfling, Porcelain or Tickle-Me-Doughface.”

This is just brilliant television!

The school board overturns Sue’s expulsion of Karofsky and she tendered her resignation as principal in protest of the school board’s decision. She told Kurt she’d keep an eye out for him as she roams the halls: “Someone out to have your back.”

With Karofsky returning, Kurt said: “I don’t feel safe at this school.”

Colfer did a good job of conveying Kurt’s fear and it’s very telling that despite the support of his friends and teachers and family, he feels he must leave the school to feel safe. His dad and stepmom decide to use their honeymoon money to pay for private school and Kurt announces that he was transferring to Dalton Academy where a “zero tolerance no bulllying policy is enforced.”

With the bullying epidemic in our country making the lives of gay kids a living hell and leading some to kill themselves, I can’t think of a more important storyline on television this year.

And the fact that it is on a show that so many of those kids watch with their families, I just feel so grateful that this show with this storyline is on the air and that it is so well done and hopefully will make a difference in a lot of lives.

It’s for that and so many other reasons why Glee wins the Greggy for TV Show of the Year!