The soundtrack is saturated with the artificial echo of auto-tuning. The lead guy is obviously not a long-time, practiced singer. Jane Lynch hasn't yet sung a note in the first thirteen episodes. There are tons of instances of contrived reasons for a high school teacher to show off his singing and dancing. The same guy is unnaturally dense and gullible, as if he came to this planet from Pleasantville (pre-color). Despite it all, Glee charms even the most cynical of people.

The (first half of the) first season being on DVD is not, as has been alleged, a shameless grab at money by Fox. It's an extremely wise move to provide it in a form that doesn't involve watching it online, which does not suit the styles of all viewers (myself included). Generally the most rabid social media-engaged folks out there are the ones who cry for blood, assuming that anything other than their style of media ingestion must be some plot to bleed them dry.

The extras include a pile of featurettes, most of which will primarily appeal to mega-fans of the show. My favorite got into the genesis of the show and the casting process for the unknowns. The show's hiatus is a great opportunity to power through these first episodes and jump on board, and I have a feeling that plenty of people will.