• by Ed Martin , August 5, 2011

Oxygen this year has delivered the perfect summer series in "The Glee Project," a show so full of talent and heart it instantly establishes emotional connections so strong they defy indifference. After an episode or two you don't simply like the young competitors -- you care about them and hate to see them go. Memories of the dearly departed linger as the show moves on.

"The Glee Project" is nothing like those live competition giants "American Idol," "America's Got Talent," "So You Think You Can Dance" and genre newcomer "The Voice." It's more focused and intimate, like "Project Runway" or "Top Chef," largely because it's pretaped and thoughtfully edited. Each episode shows its young contenders as they take on various performance challenges and work toward the production of a musical sequence that showcases their talents as individuals and as team players, all the while seeking to avoid weekly elimination. In that format, watching them interact with themselves and their instructors, viewers get to know the contestants much faster than they would simply watching them perform on a stage.

The winner on this show, as determined by "Glee" creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy with input from select colleagues, will be awarded a seven-episode guest arc on "Glee." Frankly, I think any or all of these kids would be welcome additions to that show; in fact, during the last few episodes I have come to like some members of the "Glee Project" cast more than certain individuals in the "Glee" cast, though that may be the result of poor writing for several characters during "Glee's" flawed second season. Any one of the five competitors who remain in play as I'm writing this column deserves to win, as do some of those who are no longer in the running, including the very impressive Cameron, who had never even taken a singing lesson before auditioning for "Glee Project" and who looked to be the frontrunner until last week, when he chose to leave the show after deciding that the "Glee" thing wasn't right for him.

Overall, I'm enjoying "Glee Project" more than "Glee" itself, perhaps because it feels like the best and purest elements of "Glee" without all the awful parts. Everyone at Oxygen and "Glee" who is involved with this show has done a great job of introducing and nurturing its twelve young competitors. For that reason, it will be a shame if these kids are simply released into the ether once "Glee Project" fades. Right now they are Grade-A Oxygen talent, and one of them will soon be identified as Grade-A "Glee" talent. But what happens after that?

Surely Ryan Murphy is smart enough to ultimately bring more than one of the "Glee Project" kids over to "Glee" or any spin-offs that may come out of it. But Oxygen ought to be thinking about maximizing its investment, as well. Most of the "Glee Project" kids may not be destined for "Glee" itself, but they have all built big followings online with desirable young viewers. Why not put together one or more follow-up shows that chronicle their efforts to move forward into the entertainment business post-"Project"? How about a show that follows the winner as he or she settles in at "Glee" -- or would that be too much of a promotional piece for a program on another network?

At the very least, I want to see some of these talented young people make guest appearances on the slam-dunk second season of "Glee Project," a show that I believe could continue for many years even after "Glee" ends its run and a recording contract is the only prize.