Who knew that "Gleeks" could be so global?

In China, Zhejiang Satellite Television has a new program - and it has been negatively viewed as a carbon copy of Fox's hit show, "Glee". In the up and coming musical drama series, "My Youth High Eight Degrees" channels the popular "Glee" plotline: a circle of extraordinarily different Chinese university students woven together in a colorful performance group. Under the instruction of an optimistic music teacher, the students struggle, rehearse, and polish their talents with the hope of participating (and winning) a fiercely competitive championship.

Like Us on Facebook

The cast includes popular Chinese performers, with Wu Xiubo starring as the university's musical director. Qu Ying and Zeng Zhiwei appear alongside him in the program. Other notable cast members include several reality show contests that had been featured in the Voice of China. Some of the most notable former contestants include Li Qi and the Mushroom Brothers.

In fact, Shanghai Canxing Culture & Broadcast Co. - a co-producer of "My Youth High Eight Degrees"-had been working alongside the American producers of "Glee", especially with the development of the new program's script.

Many fans dedicated to the original "Glee" have reportedly been upset over the new Chinese imitation - yet the fans' complaints are not necessarily all about the supposedly unoriginal content in "My Youth High Eight Degrees". Instead, "Glee" fans have complained that the way the plotline progresses throughout the series would be completely unrealistic if it took place in a Chinese university.

Yet several of the unrealistic components fans are particularly upset about are oftentimes very much present in the American "Glee": bursting out into song and dance, for example.

However, the backlash "My Youth High Eight Degrees" received from Glee fans did not seem to faze Shanghai Canxing Culture & Broadcast Co. Defending the show, the co-producer stated that the show was not at all plagiarizing "Glee", but was trying to illustrate the reality of today's youths trying to break into the Chinese music scene. 

TagsMy Youth High Eight Degrees, Glee, Voice of CHina, Voice of CHina, Wu Xiubo, Qu Ying, Zeng Zhiwei, Li Qi, Mushroom Brothers, Shanghai Canxing Culture & Broadcast Co