This drama about a struggling high-school theater program is unavoidably going to be compared to “Glee.” So building Episode 1 around getting the star football player to join the company — just like the first episode of “Glee” — invites accusations that “Rise” is a ripoff.
It’s not. It’s based on Michael Sokolove’s book “Drama High.” “Rise” is sort of a gritty “Glee.” It deals with everything from addiction to adultery to coming out as gay and transgender.
Except that Lou is shocked when parents predictably object to a musical about teenagers discovering their sexuality.