The show “Rise” is climbing up the charts but it is making new viewers wonder how unique and different is it and if it will be renewed for another season.

“Rise” is a show targeted towards teenager theatre lovers who may have enjoyed similar series like “Glee” or “Friday Night Lights” with pressing issues like abortion, transitioning as a transgender person, being a young mother, adulatory, and other drama within the theatre department itself. These topics has the potential of making this show a success but according to New York Times, “Rise” may want to be the next big show “wanting alone does not make a thing so.”

As this show may grab people’s interest, its perspective and angle leaves more to be desired. It tells the story of high school theatre students and their struggles, and some audience members feel the way “Rise” presents these issues are too similar to “Glee” while others think it is already different enough.

“‘Rise’ is different from ‘Glee’ as it focuses on musical theatre and not just singing,” Grace Bejnarowicz, senior and “Rise” viewer, said. “There are many parallels between the shows’ storylines that some people see as a way to revive ‘Glee’ or as a way to copy glee, but that just shows that teenage struggles are similar in high school and that’s no necessarily a bad thing for people to realize and wake up to.”

Some of the actors who show these teenage struggles are well known for very different types of movies and shows. One of these characters is the girl who voiced Moana, Auliʻi Cravalho, and another is Ted from “How I Met Your Mother”, Joshua Radnor, who is now attempting to play a serious theatre teacher in this show. These actors are stepping away from the types of characters they are well known for and trying a more serious role which they can pull off at times but their acting skill need some work. At intense scenes Cravalho and Radnor fall short when showing the audience an in-depth range of emotions or making the viewers see the severity of the situation as times.

“[Radnor] is now trying to play a very serious character which so far seems to be ok but he works better as a comedic character,” Bejnarowicz said. “It’s cool that he’s trying to branch out and try to be more versatile but some actors are just good at one type of genre and I went into watching this show doubting that he could pull it off.”

If the show shifted its focus to musical theatre and not just mostly serious teenage adversities, the show might have a chance to bring a new and unseen perspective on theatre students’ struggles and not just generally all teenagers issues in high school.

“‘Rise’ has the potential to be different from glee and become a good drama show,” Bejnarowicz said. “The conflicts already shown are interesting and can continue throughout the seasons’ which gives the show a chance of continuing past the first season. If they stop overwhelming the audience with so many new conflicts per episode and focus on giving the show its own unique voice it could become something every theatre kid would enjoy.”