Is Rise a Glee Clone? Not exactly. While it hits a ton of the same story beats, it finds new and interesting things to do to make it fun to watch. Moana star Auli'i Cravalho shines as a Rachel Berry foil, giving the show new focus and new beats. Is Robbie just like a rapping Finn? Yes. There are similarities, but the shifted focus onto musical theater rather than glee club adds new weight and relatability, as does the new setting. The new characters are fresh figures to follow and overall, this show carries a more mature and modern tone. It feels grittier, yet still holds an uplifting tone. It's the poor man's Glee and boy is it fun. Rise is a fun show that has a future. So what if it's sort of like Glee? There's a Glee shaped hole in TV and Rise fills that spot nicely.
