Rise (2018) User Reviews

Rising Up in Pop Culture Status?

[kkoho · 7/10 · 14 March 2018]

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.

Slow Burn

[musgravef-122-403801 · 7/10 · 17 May 2018]

This show started out a bit slow and flat but the storyline and acting both picked up steam over time. Good character development and great singing. Well worth my time as it is quite different from most other offerings. Hope the network gives this one a chance.

Addicted already!

[LiquidPoetry1921 · 8/10 · 14 March 2018]

Although you might see some similarities to 'Friday Night Lights' in 'Rise', this show is completely different ~ although both shows ironically were created by the same individual.

A group of theatre students, encouraged by a teacher new to that department, decide to produce more challenging theatrical productions...such as the controversial 'Spring Awakenings'. This is completely unlike the acceptable standard fare of 'Grease' which they have performed year after year. Needless to say they are met with great resistance, as the play deals with issues such as same-sex relationships, abortion and promiscuity. Even more significantly, the fictional Stanton High (in Pennsylvania) lives and breathes its football, and one of its critical players wants to act in the plays which would take time away from his football practices.

In the first episode alone, 'Rise' dealt with teen homelessness, poverty and a transgendered individual. If you were hoping for a 'Friday Night Lights' comeback like so many shows are doing these days (Roseanne, Will and Grace, Hawaii 5-0), you'll be sadly disappointed. But if you're looking for an entertaining show that addresses some provocative subjects with heart, I think 'Rise' will leave you pleasantly surprised. And...as we've seen with the Parkland, Florida students in the last month, teenagers CAN affect a difference in our schools ~ and our thinking.

Why such a low rating?

[EarthAD · 6 May 2018]

I wonder if people are even giving this show a chance or they're just chalking this up as a Glee rip off and giving it a low rating without even watching it. This show has so much potential to be great if people would just give it a chance.

Reality

[brwnidgrl06 · 10/10 · 29 May 2018]

This show is exactly the reality of what is happening in high school. I absolutely loved this show and every storyline behind it. I think everyone needs to give it a chance, it may have a slow start to the season, but once you get to know everyone's characters you really start to fall in love with them. I am so bummed this show was cancelled! I really hope it gets picked up from another TV station.

So far, a nice and solid show

[AnonymousFilmLover26 · 7/10 · 21 March 2018]

"Rise" is good fun, with a twist of drama. Almost like a "Smash" and "Friday Night Lights" hybrid, it's brought to us by the guy responsible for shows like "Parenthood" (and "FNL", actually), so I was hoping it'd be at least decent. It's gotten off to a solid start so far.

"Rise" gets off track a bit when it delves a little too deeply into teen angst. Characters like Gordy and the conservative Christian kid are already grating my nerves. I have no problem with religious or spiritual views expressed on TV, and I have absolutely no doubt that there are families out there just like this Christian boy's. But done in this manner, it's just a little much for me on a personal level. Meanwhile, it's like the writer's were just ticking off boxes on a checklist with Gordy, who hits every cliche teen stereotype. -Portrayed as an 'outsider' whom no one understands -Bad habits or behavior -Mumbly -Lots of general grumbling -Door slamming/dramatic exits

All in all, I'd rank "Rise" higher than "Glee". It's definitely an enjoyable show without the excess cheese, corniness or syrupy sugar-coated sweetness, but it hasn't quite hit its high note yet. Give it time!

final episode was amazing

[burge105 · 10/10 · 20 May 2018]

Tried earlier to write a review just finished watching and must be shortened. It dealt with issue and felt like I was watching a true drama production. They dealt with real issues and deserves a Emmy. From pregnancy to football to single mom struggles at home to a abandoned wharehouse. Just normal struggles that a lot of people can identify with. The singing was excellent. The songs on the other hand okay but not great however that is what made the show real.

Okay, we get it. You're progressive.

[edthesheep · 6/10 · 22 March 2018]

It's like it's trying to be edgy, but it's late to the party.

My favorite network show

[sondra-13 · 10/10 · 21 May 2018]

Just heard it's been canceled and I'm very upset. This is a great show, that tried to bridge societal gaps with great voices and a really good story, taking place in a dying steel town In Pennsylvania. I love all of the actors, especially Josh Radner. I hope he perseveres and finds the show or movie that succeeds, because he is an amazing actor. Rosie Perez was nuanced as the assistant director. All the kids were amazing. All of them. I'm so bummed this is done. Hoping Netflix picks it up. It's just probably too real for a commercial network that is too dependent on the farce that is Nielsen ratings. And I know how unreal those ratings are.

Dumb and corny but I still like it

[cherold · 7/10 · 30 May 2018]

I checked out Rise because it sounded like Glee, which I liked (until the college seasons), and it kind of is. Once again you've got a passionate guy and a bunch of talented hopefuls singing and falling in/out of love, although the singing is more integrated, so that the approach is less camp musical and more drama-with-singing. But both are about equally nonsensical.

There are so many ridiculous moments and premises in this series, and the writers are drawn to showbiz cliches like moths to a flame. When a student is doing a poor line reading, the teacher says, "don't act, just be yourself" and suddenly he's great, because of course that's all it takes to get a great performance out of an amateur. Later the same thing happens when the teacher gets a great performance out of a struggling orchestra by snatching the baton from the teacher and saying, "hey, let's just try this. Everyone relax and go for it!"

Much of the series involves the teacher's grand dreams bumping up against reality, resulting in the teacher making grand speeches. But often his choices are false. In an episode involving an elaborate set, my girlfriend and I thought of several ways to achieve the round towers they wanted cheaply, and neither of us are even theater people. The series also had an interesting attitude towards stealing stuff.

Here's the thing though: I like the show. The cast is appealing, the corniness is often affecting, and the bits from the musical they're rehearsing make me really want to see it.

So in short; dumb but I enjoy it.

Exactly what I expected

[tsmckay · 3/10 · 18 March 2018]

Rise it not groundbreaking or amazing but it's entertaining and has lots of potential for character back story and growth. I was entertained for the full 45 minutes and found myself looking forward to the next episode. It is like glee and highschool musical but as long as you go into it expecting that and understanding that it's not a brand new story or intricate plot then you'll like it. The acting is good enough, I have definetly seen a lot worse.

"Rise" is artfully entertaining and refreshingly engaging.

[listeningyes · 10/10 · 20 May 2018]

"Rise" is artfully superior to 9 out of 10 shows airing in 2018. Rise portrays multiple age range social issues with great casting and acting. It wasn't well promoted, clearly the network feared backlash. But real life issues don't go away when someone condemns and tries to hide them. "Rise" shows all sides. When a person is different from what's familiar those differences can be hard to accept. But when you know someone born different you cannot deny their reality. We have found "Rise" deepening, refreshing and artfully entertaining.

High School Musial + Glee + John Green = Rise

[dragonstealeye · 2/10 · 15 March 2018]

Essentially, it has the skeleton of HSM, the characterization of Glee, and the supposed edgy tone of another John Green novel. Rise is not anything new: it employs tropes which are so old and worn they're practically ragged hand-me-downs in this year. It tries to do something different by underpinning it with a dark, broody tonality; however, its adherence to the stock character fittings of the talented underdog who gets the female-lead, the attractive, popular sports guy who gets the male-lead ( and the two fall for each other), and the unfulfilled teacher who seeks fulfillment through some artistic outlet sharply undercuts it and makes it cringe-worthy because it is remarkably predictable. You see, HSM, Glee, and John Green content were (are, in John Green's case) successful because they knew how campy and stupidly cliche they were/are, they never took/take themselves too seriously, and that's why they gained/gain popularity: because they never tried to be anything other than what that it was, a good musical teenage time. If Rise owned up to its own cliche'd existence, perhaps it would survive; however, at this rate, a complete season would be an impressive feat.

Love it

[mark-adamson1969 · 17 May 2018]

I've been waiting for a show like this. Brilliant.

Amazing

[britkiser · 10/10 · 16 May 2018]

Rise is a show that makes you feel. You can relate and is something that we didn't know we needed until it was here.

It took a while to find its groove, but I think it's there

[jclawrence78 · 9/10 · 12 May 2018]

The first episode or two seemed to plod along, meandering, trying to find its footing while providing the introductions and exposition to get everyone on the same page. I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it, but I'm glad I did, as it has since picked up the tempo and the intensity, and I think today's youth would benefit from seeing themselves on the screen, much as my generation did with shows like "My So-Called Life." It doesn't gloss over the myriad issues kids today are facing (man, I feel so old saying these things), but it also shows the difficulties and challenges faced by the parents and adults. I hope the show is picked up again, as it has great potential and a talented cast.

Singing version of Friday Night Lights

[stevejwacfield · 8/10 · 11 May 2018]

Not sure why it keeps getting compared to Glee. Someone wrote Friday Night Lights, and that is a far more accurate comparison, even down to how it is filmed. A lot of people didn't get how good FNL was until almost too late. This is a quality show with good acting and very high standard singing that has none of the fakeness of Glee.

Poorly written and acted

[markjesseswanson · 1/10 · 25 March 2018]

This show is a nightmare too to bottom. It plays on every single hackneyed trope about 'Drama club' and the rivalry exists between sports and the arts. Unoriginal, boring and not worth the time.

Something different on TV...

[enneken · 10/10 · 11 May 2018]

This show is what I tend to call a slow burn or a simmer show.... It's really enjoyable to watch these storylines steadily and slowly unfold, and it's telling a story that we don't often see on tv, really. Glee was wonderful for what it was, but it was a campy pop fest... this is gritty, with some real life issues that it brings up. I highly recommend it and hope it gets renewed for a second season.

Disappointing

[kristyhorning · 2/10 · 16 March 2018]

I was so excited initially about this show, but so disappointed after the first episode. First of all, it's basically Friday Night Lights, except replace the football team with a theater group. The lead is just annoying and the show just isn't executed that well. Beyond that it is progressive propaganda on several levels.

This show is SO not Glee...

[kimdy62 · 18 March 2018]

The ONLY similarities are that both shows contain singers, period. Glee was about a Glee Club of oddball, yet all exceptionally same-like singers, all singing to voice overs, badly timed, and using voice box technology. Because, after all, we were too stupid to notice that part, right? . Rise is a new concept. It is a drama club, a whole new animal. There are true talents throughout, NO use thus far of any Voice Box technology, and excellent syncing between what is being sung, and the person doing the singing. I like the storylines, I like the characters, I live the teachers, and the music is edgy, today, and meaningful. Yes, I know, Spring Awakening is older, but its use is well up to date and meaningful for the plot. . So, yes, there are a few oddball similarities between Glee and Rise, but you know? Rise singers can ALL sing, well, and appear to be doing so, for real, on the screen, even if we do know it's voice over - Glee? ALWAYS knew, as the words and the sound were always off. In addition? Glee was far too stereotyped, and people were always randomly singing their lines while wandering through class... Hated that, truly. I am very looking forward to seeing where this one takes us...

Great show so far

[yahyahfisher · 8/10 · 14 March 2018]

As an art student and a lover of musicals, I was really anticipating this show. I found the first episode really empowering and interesting. I could be bias because I do favor musicals, but I truely think 'Rise' has potential to be a great show.

Love

[sims-983-911353 · 8/10 · 3 May 2018]

Real events, real people, real life current experience. This show is not sugar coated like so many other shows. The way it is filmed makes it feel like a more personal show/experience.

rise is what we need

[fashionprincess-94651 · 10/10 · 11 May 2018]

What an incredible show with incredible representation. showing families from all walks of life and telling the stories that actually matter and actually happen. not to mention the two leads are POC, a non-binary actor playing a trans-male, a character with Down syndrome, a young teenager struggling with his sexuality, and a foster kid. i mean really, does it get better than that?

Was expecting more *Spoilers*

[wawildbill-197-986443 · 4/10 · 21 March 2018]

Seems like this has been done before. A controversial performance wants to be done, the higher ups don't want it done, kids/teacher protests, the show goes on. One of the students on the football team and getting poor grades in the class of the same teacher that is also directing the theater group. The teacher finds out how good the student sings and wants him in the performance of 'Spring Awakening' . The coach agrees, but as long as the teacher gives the student (the team's top player) a passing grade on a test, which he had been given a D, which at that point according to school district policy couldn't play football. The student is also upset about not being able to play, because a college scholarship is involved. Which doesn't make sense, if he is getting crappy grades in high school what does he expect to do in college, if he could even get in? An example of sports being favored over education. The kids start rehearsing 'Spring Awakening', the principle finds out about the subject matter and says no, they have to do 'Pirates of Penzance' instead, a tamer play. The teacher, his assistant (also a teacher at the school) and the students decide to retaliate by gathering up the pirates costumes and burn them (arson, destruction of school property). Instead of the teachers getting fired, the students suspended or expelled, they get rewarded by the principal giving in and allowing them do the first play. Of course there was the football student saying he wouldn't play in the upcoming game, possibly causing a game loss (extortion). So if you don't get your way, destroy something. The main story is about the teacher wanting to do controversial things such as the play, but 20 years from now what's going to be more important, what you learned in school for a life career, or what play you did. I probably won't be watching any more episodes.