Sue Sylvester
Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through the show's final episode, first broadcast on March 20, 2015.
Sue Sylvester
"Pilot" (2009)
"Dreams Come True" (2015)
Cheerleading coach (formerly)
TV news personality (formerly)
Principal (formerly)
Vice President of the United States
Doris Sylvester (mother)
Jean Sylvester (sister, deceased)
Robin Sylvester (daughter)
Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. For the show's first four seasons, Sue is the track-suit wearing coach of the William McKinley High School Cheerleaders (otherwise known as "the Cheerios"), and a ruthless bully with an iron fist to both students and faculty members alike. Because her cheerleading squad competes with the glee club for the school's limited funding, she is often at odds with the club and more particularly its director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison). Sue is the main antagonist throughout the series' run. In the show's fifth season, Sue is made the school's new principal, though she is ultimately fired late in the show's sixth and final season.
Due to Lynch's initial limited availability, Sue was originally set to be a recurring character while Lynch was working on a Damon Wayans pilot for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). When that pilot fell through, Sue became a starring role. Both the character and Lynch’s performance have been acclaimed by critics. Mary McNamara for the Los Angeles Times has written that "Lynch alone makes Glee worth watching", while Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker has called Sue "the greatest Broadway-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series". In recognition of her portrayal of Sue, Lynch won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award.
Development[edit]
Casting and creation[edit]
Sue is played by Jane Lynch. The character did not exist when the script for the Glee pilot was first submitted to Fox. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan Murphy said that Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly was responsible for her creation. "On our first call, Kevin said, 'You need a villain,'" Murphy remembered. "And I said, 'You know, you're right.' I knew exactly who she is. I said, 'Her name is Sue Sylvester. And she is the cheerleading coach. And she may be on horse estrogen.'"[18] The casting notice described Sue as "the anal, tightly wound, and ruthlessly ambitious leader of the Harrison High cheer leading squad."[19] At the time she was cast as Sue, Lynch was already committed to do a Damon Wayans pilot for ABC. The Glee role initially had her as a guest star, in the hope that she could become a regular in the future. When the ABC pilot fell through, Lynch became a series regular.[20]
Characterization[edit]
Sue is initially presented as the glee club's "arch-nemesis".[20] Following the pilot episode, Lynch said she is "pure evil and doesn't hide it",[21] explaining that she was created as a product of Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk's "inner mean girl".[20] Lynch feels that Sue has the ability to be both "horrible and really delightful at the same time",[22] assessing that she continually speaks her mind as she enjoys appalling people with the things she says.[23] She encapsulates Sue's world view as being about "power and winning", stating that she will do anything to win.[22] Sue's softer side manifests following the revelation that her sister has Down syndrome. She is depicted as kind and loving towards Jean, though Lynch stated that exploration of Sue's humanity would be limited.[23] Sue is an atheist, but according to Murphy, does not want to be. He explained, "She [is] saying to the world, 'Prove [me] wrong: If God is kindness and love, make me believe in God.'"[24] The second-season episode "Grilled Cheesus" focuses on the characters' differing approaches to religion. Sue lobbies against the performance of spiritual songs in school, engaging in a philosophical argument on the matter with school guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays), which Murphy describes as the scene he is "most proud to have been involved with in [his] entire career."[24] On the fifth-season episode "Puppet Master", the reason behind Sue's track suit outfit was revealed. It was because she felt that she never received the respect she deserved as a teacher and even the then Principal Figgins "insulted" her and said that she was a cheerleading coach so she needed to "try some pants" because she was wearing an office skirt and that she had long hair. She said that the moment she put the track suit on, "the world bowed before her" and that she "had one made in every color".
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
The character of Sue has received widespread praise, lauded as "the greatest Broadway-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series" by Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker.[36] In an early review, Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times criticized her domination of scenes and flat characterization, commenting: "She's funny from line to line, but there is little to her besides tin-pot contrariness."[37] In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly named her one of the 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.[38] She is the 100th Most Memorable Female TV Character, according to AOL TV.[39] She was included in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters.[40]
Lynch's performance in the role has attracted critical acclaim. Following the pilot episode, Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote that she alone makes the series worth watching.[41] IGN's Eric Goldman later assessed that a comic actress such as Lynch is necessary to make the character loveable, given that her key traits include smugness, ignorance and casual racism.[42] The Los Angeles Times Shawna Malcom similarly praised Lynch's portrayal for keeping Sue from being "an over-the-top disaster."[43] Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal suggested that the show would be less fun without Lynch's delivery.[44]
Variety's Brian Lowry was critical of Lynch in early episodes, deeming Glee's adult cast "over-the-top buffoons",[45] and writing that she "chews through her material so relentlessly as to be fitfully funny but usually just plain annoying."[46] The New York Times' Mike Hale wrote that she gives a "one-note performance" in Glee, suggesting that she is miscast in the role, as "her talent for playing repressed nut cases doesn’t extend to playing straightforward Nazis."[47]
Accolades[edit]
Lynch has won a number of awards for her portrayal of Sue. At the 14th Satellite Awards, she won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.[48] The following year, she won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, for her performance in the episode "The Power of Madonna".[49] She received the TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy at the 26th TCA Awards,[50] as well as the Actress Comedy Series accolade at the WIN Awards.[51] Lynch was part of the Glee cast ensemble given the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards.[52] She was named Favorite Female TV Star (Comedy) at the Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards, run by the lesbian media website AfterEllen.com,[53] and won the TV Performance of the Year: Musical or Comedy Award at the inaugural Dorian Awards, reflecting gay interest in the TV industry.[54][55] The following year, Lynch tied in the same category with co-star Chris Colfer.[56] 2011 also saw Lynch named Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the 68th Golden Globe Awards,[57] and Favorite TV Comedy Actress Award at the 37th People's Choice Awards.[58]
The role has earned Lynch nominations for several further awards. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the 67th Golden Globe Awards,[59] and for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film at the 15th Satellite Awards.[60] Also in 2010, Sue was nominated Choice TV: Villain at the Teen Choice Awards,[61] and Lynch was nominated for the Favorite TV Actress Award at the AfterEllen.com Visibility Awards.[62] In 2011, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was also part of an ensemble nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.[63]
Impact[edit]
Lynch was selected as the 2010 principal honoree of Madame Tussauds wax museum in Hollywood. A wax figure of Lynch as Sue was created, featuring the character's trademark tracksuit and bullhorn.[64] At the August unveiling of the figure, Brennan commented that Sue would approve of being immortalized in such a manner.[65] In 2020, an image depicting Sue proclaiming that she is going to "create an environment that is so toxic" from episode seven became a prominent reaction image and Internet meme.[66]