No Lima reference found in Fox's 'Glee'

LIMA - Anyone thinking that Fox's new show "Glee" could put Lima on the map, might want to think again.

The new musically themed television show is said to be set in Lima, but a group of Lima Senior High School choir students and staff was hard-pressed to find much resembling their school or city.

"I think there were some interesting parallels with other high schools around the state," Lima Senior choir director Stephen Popa said after watching an early release of the show. "It seems like they have borrowed bits and pieces from around the state to form a general high school."

"Glee" premiers at 9 p.m. today on Fox. Viewers won't see it again until the fall. The show follows a teacher who takes over the Glee Club, currently a place for misfits. The teacher, Will Schuester, recruits a high school football player to join and begins his work to make the Glee Club at McKinley High School good again.

"It was sort of like a ‘High School Musical' reality show," junior Alyshia James said.

The show's creator, Ryan Murphy, said he set the show in Lima because he remembered visiting the city while growing up in Indiana.

"I think it's interesting that it's here," junior Zach Sobie said. "This does not seem like the place you would write a TV show about."

An Ohio license plate and references to the "Buckeye State," Cleveland and Akron are as close as the show comes to identifying its location. At one point, Schuester incorrectly talks about going "down to Akron."

The preview did not include the show's opening and it may not be the final version viewers will see today, Fox said. Officials with the show requested items from the city and asked The Lima News for a fake, but realistic-looking copy of a page of the newspaper.

Students found a few similarities to Lima Senior: similar school colors and cheerleading uniforms, and a football stadium and auditorium that could pass as Lima Senior's. Freshman C.J. Brincefield thought the hallway flooring looked similar too. Students here aren't quite as lucky to have the kind of school campus pictured in the show.

Parts of the pilot episode could be Lima, while others were far from it. Local shoppers can't go to a Pottery Barn here and residents aren't ever seen "painting" on their lawns. But, a monster truck show probably interests some.

Dialogue about everyone in the town being losers, made junior Lennex Cowan wonder if people here think the same. Another scene referred to there being "lots of drunks in this town."

"I think Lima is a very negative city. The people don't have optimism at all," he said.

The students were most interested in critiquing whether the show correctly depicted a high school show choir. It had some of the stereotypical pieces, Cowan said, like "a big black girl who can sing, and someone who always wants to be the lead."

The glee club members are outcasts, and the football player takes a hit from his "cool" friends for being in it. Lima Senior students say that's not how it is here, although maybe for band members, a few said.

"I think students from all social standings are in choir and it's not a big deal." Zach said.

"In a lot of schools around here, music is really big. Everyone is in music," Alyshia said.

The students said they would watch the show and are curious about the storylines. While Zach found it pretty funny, he has a better idea for a good television show.

"If they just followed us around with cameras," he said. "I would watch that show."