The Price of Glee review: A cheap rehash of other people's tragedy

The Price of Glee is full of low points, but the lowest has got to be the interview with the guy who's identified on screen as a "celebrity researcher."

In episode 2 of Investigation Discovery's three-part schlockudrama, said researcher — who posts video tours of landmarks related to celebrity deaths on his YouTube channel — stands outside the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver, where Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in 2013. He repeats some of the well-known facts about Monteith's accidental overdose, and then wonders aloud: "Why did this celebrity relapse?"

That dude has no idea. Nor does The Price of Glee have answers about any of the Glee-related subjects it examines with such ghoulish intensity: Monteith's overdose; Naya Rivera's drowning; Mark Salling's suicide; Melissa Benoist's experience as a survivor of domestic violence; Lea Michele's reputation for being "difficult." The program is, as expected, a tawdry and slight exercise in misery porn, a rehash of tragedy told largely by talking heads, crew members, and people who call themselves friends of the deceased. (No cast members or family members appear in the series, with the exception of Rivera's father, George Rivera.)

Investigation Discovery 'Glee' stars Cory Monteith, Naya Rivera, and Mark Salling

The first hour recaps the Glee phenomenon, which began with the show's premiere in spring 2009. Patching together news clips with shaky fan-cam footage and video from public events, The Price of Glee chronicles the cast's transformation from fresh-faced newcomers doing autograph signings at Hot Topic to international stars who literally could not go anywhere without being mobbed by screaming fans. The head of the hair department from season 3 says the cast became competitive about who could amass the most followers on social media. A psychotherapist who did not work with the cast says that sudden-onset fame can present a tremendous mental health challenge. Chris Colfer's stand-in says that Monteith, who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction since the age of 13, "wasn't always coming to set prepared." Do you need to take a shower yet?

When The Price of Glee is done speculating about why Monteith lost his battle with substance use disorder — Was it the show's punishing schedule? The actor's insecurities about his ability as a dancer? — the series turns its attention to his costar and former girlfriend, Lea Michele.

"Lea's a narcissist," sniffs a man who worked as an assistant to an executive producer in season 1. "It was about her, always," notes a set director from seasons 1 and 2. The second episode features an interview with a background player who says the actress slighted him during a lunch break. Reader, we all know Michele has never been in the running for Miss Congeniality, but The Price of Glee works overtime to paint her as a heartless shrew who demanded that everyone go back to work two weeks after Monteith's death. As creator Ryan Murphy has said many times publicly, he and the producers made the decision together after consulting with Michele. Truth is overrated; sexism is forever.

The rapid-fire final hour hits several beats, including the story of Mark Salling, who died by suicide in 2018 after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. The Price of Glee reminds us that Salling played bad boy Puck, a lothario who prided himself on his many sexual conquests; that the actor and Rivera had a tumultuous romantic relationship; that no one on set had any idea that Salling was so deeply troubled. "What really was going on inside of him, I'm really not sure," says Glee's key assistant location manager (seasons 1-4).

Rivera's father, meanwhile, reminisces about his daughter as a driven and talented performer, one who transformed Glee's Santana from a barely supporting part into a lead role through the sheer force of her undeniable charisma. Rather than leave it there, though, producers also feel the need to interview a former coroner who did not write Rivera's autopsy report but nonetheless has "some theories" about the awful boating accident that ended her life as her toddler son watched. Cool.

The Price of Glee has nothing new to tell us about any of these terribly sad events — and even if it did, do we really need more information? The true tragedy of this show is that networks and streamers will continue to crank out junk like it as long as viewers continue to watch. Skipping it, however, doesn't cost a thing. Grade: D-

All three episodes of The Price of Glee premiere Monday, Jan. 16, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery and Discovery+.

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