Years after the hit musical comedy-drama series ended, fans still celebrate Santana Lopez, Brittana, and Faberry. With an official reboot in development, it remains to be seen if a new generation will connect with the show.

Disney+ and Hulu have ordered a revamped Glee series, with original co-creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan working together for the script.

Yet, the news brings a familiar challenge. Glee transcended its theatricality and musical numbers through messy, moving character arcs that became cultural touchstones. Any revival must establish its own voice while honoring those beloved characters.

Santana Lopez remains the blueprint

Santana Lopez could silence a room with one insult and command it with a song. Played by the late Naya Rivera, her razor-sharp humor made her an instant standout, but her lasting impact came from the vulnerability underneath the bravado.

Santana’s journey toward accepting her sexuality gave queer viewers a character who could be defensive, difficult, fiercely loyal, and deeply afraid of rejection. Her coming-out storyline for Season 3’ “I Kissed A Girl,” particularly her painful confrontation with her grandmother, captured the complicated reality of wanting acceptance from the people you love.

Her relationship with Brittany S. Pierce, aka “Brittana” ship name, evolved from friendship into a tender, nuanced queer love story. Rivera’s standout performance gave Santana an irreplaceable voice that went far beyond mere witty one-liners.

Brittana and Faberry still have fans talking

Brittana became one of the series’ most beloved headcannon couples. Enter Faberry, the headcannon fan-favorite pairing of Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray, played by Lea Michele and Dianna Agron. Rachel was the ambitious theater kid determined to make it big; 

Quinn was the polished cheerleader whose carefully controlled image concealed a turbulent home life and a changing sense of self. Their rivalry and occasional alliances gave fans plenty to interpret. Though the series never established them as a romantic couple, their contrasting personalities and charged dynamic inspired fan fiction, edits, and years of speculation about what might have been.

Agron gave Quinn depth beyond the queen bee trope. Through storylines involving teenage pregnancy, family pressure, and identity struggles, Quinn emerged as both calculating and deeply vulnerable.

Faberry’s legacy proves how fans expand stories through unscripted moments. While the reboot need not canonize every fan pairing, it must create new relationships with similar emotional resonance.

Nostalgia can only carry a reboot so far

The original Glee ran for six seasons, from 2009 to 2015, mixing show choir performances with storylines about bullying, identity, homophobia, and the pressures of growing up. Its legacy is complicated, too, shaped by behind-the-scenes controversies and the deaths of cast members Cory Monteith and Rivera.

A revival has the chance to revisit those themes with a clearer understanding of how conversations around queer identity and representation have evolved. It can also learn from the original’s uneven storytelling, which sometimes let shock value overshadow character development.

There is an audience of longtime viewers who remember the weekly episodes alongside younger fans discovering the series through streaming and social media. A new version has to speak to both without turning the past into a checklist of references.

That means writing characters with distinct personalities, giving relationships room to develop, and letting music deepen the story rather than carry it alone. It means allowing people to be flawed, funny, ambitious, and complicated without reducing them to a single identity or plot point.

And yes, it means understanding why Santana’s comebacks still circulate, why Brittana remains a beloved queer romance, and why Faberry continues to thrive in fandom despite never becoming canon.

The reboot is still in early development without a confirmed cast or release date, though Murphy has reportedly contacted original cast members. While fans can be hopeful, expectations should remain grounded with the aim not be recreating iconic scenes or old dynamics, as the original remains available to revisit.

Instead, the new Glee requires a compelling cast, emotionally rewarding relationships, and standout musical performances that enable new characters to become cultural touchstones in their own right.