Rise follows a high school drama club that is run by a passionate teacher. Starring Josh Radnor, Marley Shelton, and Auli’i Cravalho.

I was so looking forward to this show, alas, I am very disappointed. I thought this would be amazing if it were a mixture of Friday Night Lights and Glee. It’s not. First off, I’m very put off by the teacher turned drama coach. He’s more concerned with promoting his agenda than caring about the students or the school. I’m also put off by the choice to use the Broadway musical, Spring Awakening. It’s not something I think high school students should be performing. What’s worse is that the drama coach doesn’t care how it’s represented; it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Then you have how the show depicts Christians as weak and not caring. It’s obvious the writers have no idea what Christians are really thinking or feeling. It’s also obvious that they would encourage the Christians to forsake beliefs and follow the drama teacher, yet another disappointment of the show in my opinion. Rise doesn’t promote inclusion or respect for the differences of others, but instead, it points more toward conformity, indicating the students must do as the drama teacher says. This show is not worth a watch.