In many ways, Glee was the first show of its kind.

The musical comedy ran on FOX from 2009 through 2015, using covers of famous songs to tackle major issues facing kids in high school, along with people of all ages.

Tragically, Glee was a landmark program for another reason as well:

In three very different ways, THREE former cast members have passed away since the series premiered.

Cory Monteith died in 2013 of a drug overdose.

Mark Salling died by suicide in 2017 after pleading guilty to charges pertaining to possession of child pornography.

And then Naya Rivera died in 2020 in an awful drowning accident after rescuing her young son in a lake.

Now, The Price of Glee is set to debut on Discovery, as the upcoming three-part docuseries says it will explore “the demands of being on a hit TV series and dark behind-the-scenes drama,” focusing on the the premature deaths of this trio of original Glee stars.

Investigation Discovery released the first trailer for its limited series about the hit former dramedy on Thursday, teasing a far deeper look into the lives and deaths of Monteith, Rivera and Salling… and stirring up a lot of controversy in the playoffs.

“In May 2009, 10 young actors made their TV debut on Glee,” the trailer states in bold text.

“By 2020, all of them would be famous, and three would be dead.”

An insider then drops the following statement:

“I don’t want to say the C word — the ‘curse’ word — but that’s where your mind goes.”

The footage focuses on some of the chilling details of the aforementioned tragegies.

One clip, for example, depicts footage of Salling in a body bag… while another highlights images from a press conference held by police after Rivera’s body was discovered in the Southern California lake.

Series creator Ryan Murphy, meanwhile, went on record awhile ago as saying the show likely should have ended after Monteith died.

Rivera’s father also appears in the trailer, saying:

“I knew that was the top of the mountain for Naya. For your kid. It was just surreal.”

Viewers, according to the network, will “hear directly from those outside of the cast bubble who can provide no-strings-attached perspectives, such as:

“Relatives and friends of Glee cast members; those who were on the set and close to it, such as set decorators, hairdressers, stylists and publicists; and entertainment reporters who covered the phenomenon.”

At least one person closely involved with the show, however, takes extreme issue with this program.

After writer Ashley Ray-Harris Tweeted late last this week that the hit Fox musical series’ cast and crew would be featured in the three-part documentary, Kevin McHale immediately shot down the idea and slammed the project on Friday night.

“Show me this ‘cast’ you speak of,” he tweeted. “This is [trash can emoji].

McHale, of course, played the character of Artie for the entirety of Glee’s run.

He continued, “This was the nice version, ftr. Don’t make me speak on this again.”

Fellow Glee alum Chord Overstreet, who joined the series as Sam Evans in 2010, also called the series a “gossip thing” while visiting Elvis Duran and the Morning Show last month.

“I think all that’s bulls—,” he said at the time.

“I think anybody that knows anything about that show and experienced it doesn’t have anything to do with that from what I know.”

The Price of Glee will premiere on January 16 at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.

The Price of Glee Docuseries Investigates Trio of Shocking Deaths, Asks: Is There a Show … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip .