Sue Sylvester
Encyclopedia
Susan "Sue" Sylvester is a fictional character
of the Fox
musical
comedy-drama
series, Glee
. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch
, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode
, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
, and Ian Brennan
. In Glee, Sue is the coach of the William McKinley High School cheerleading squad, and a ruthless bully 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 Sylvester is the main antagonist of the series.
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 ABC. When that pilot fell through, Sue became a starring role. The character has been acclaimed by critics. Mary McNamara for the Los Angeles Times
has written that "Lynch alone makes Glee worth watching", while Entertainment Weekly
Ken Tucker has called Sue "the greatest Broadway
-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series". On January 16, 2011, Lynch won the Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Golden Globe Award
for her performance in the role, and won the Emmy Award
for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Sue Sylvester.
of Glee, Sue makes numerous attempts at sabotaging the William McKinley High School glee club
, New Directions. She enlists members of her cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, to bring the club down from the inside, and conspires to lure away its star member, Rachel Berry
(Lea Michele
). Sue is appointed co-director of the club by Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
), but soon scales back her involvement when her attempts to turn the club members against director Will Schuester
(Matthew Morrison
) fail. Hoping to ruin the club's chances of winning at the show choir
Sectionals competition, Sue gives New Directions' setlist to the directors of their rival glee clubs. Despite having to devise a new setlist at the last moment, New Directions win by unanimous decision and Sue is suspended by Figgins. She blackmails him into allowing her back, and is selected as a judge for the show choir Regionals competition. Sue is ridiculed by the other judges for her lack of fame and underdog status, allowing her to empathize with the glee club members. She votes for New Directions to win, and although they place last, she blackmails Figgins into allowing them another year to compete.
Sue's personal life is also explored over the course of the season. She has a commentary feature on the local television news, "Sue's Corner", which she uses to editorialize on issues such as support for caning
and littering. She falls in love with news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), but their burgeoning relationship comes to an abrupt end when she discovers he is sleeping with his co-anchor, Andrea Carmichael (Earlene Davis). In the episode "Wheels
", Sue allows Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter), a sophomore
with Down syndrome
, to join the Cheerios. Will is suspicious of her motives, increasingly so when Sue donates money to the school to fund three new ramps for students with disabilities. It is revealed that Sue's older sister Jean (Robin Trocki) also has Down syndrome, and lives in a residential care facility. Sue becomes a minor celebrity when Olivia Newton-John
invites her to remake the video to "Physical
", after a viral video
of Sue Jazzercising
to the track achieves internet notoriety. She donates her share of the profits to her sister's care home.
, Sue has formed a truce with Will, and together they conspire against the school's new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot Jones
). When Will comes to regret his actions and apologizes, Sue renews their enmity. She is appointed acting principal after having Figgins infected with the flu, but although the school board is so impressed with her performance they make her position permanent, she resigns when they refuse to uphold her expulsion of Dave Karofsky
(Max Adler), a bully who had threatened to kill glee club member Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
). After Sue learns that Rod and Andrea have become engaged, she announces her intention to marry herself. Her estranged mother Doris (Carol Burnett
), a recently retired Nazi hunter
, visits in an attempt to make amends for her absentee parenting, but is continuously critical of her daughter, to the point that Sue disinvites her during her wedding ceremony. Doris leaves, and Sue and Jean comfort each other.
Sue grows disillusioned with cheerleading, and in an effort to recapture her love for it, plans to fire cheerleader Brittany Pierce
(Heather Morris) from a cannon during the team's next competitive routine. Brittany and her friends Santana Lopez
(Naya Rivera
) and Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
) ultimately quit the squad, which loses at Regionals after having won the national title for six straight years. Sue is named Loser of the Year in a televised interview with Katie Couric
, and has her budget slashed. Depressed, Sue stages a fake suicide, and as she hoped would happen, is convinced to temporarily join the glee club to lift her spirits, though she really wants to bring down the club from within. When her attempts to do so fail, Sue decides to become the coach of Aural Intensity, one of New Directions' Regionals competitors, and deliberately injures their director in order to get the job. Sue is furious when her club loses to New Directions, and punches the announcer in the face.
More intent than ever on destroying the glee club, Sue forms a "League of Doom", which consists of former glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
), the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
), and Will's ex-wife Terri Schuester
(Jessalyn Gilsig
). Their first mission, to ruin a New Directions benefit, fails when Sandy is won over by a performance from Mercedes Jones
(Amber Riley
) and donates the full amount needed. Devastated by Jean's death from pneumonia, Sue turns to Terri, who has the glee club's plane tickets for Nationals changed from New York to Tripoli
. She also removes Becky from the Cheerios, because she reminds her of her sister. Kurt and his stepbrother Finn
(Cory Monteith
) help Sue to clean out Jean's things, and she accepts their offer to have New Directions perform at the funeral, as she is afraid no one else will come. While going through Jean's belongings, Finn and Kurt discover that Jean's favorite movie was Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
, and arrange a funeral inspired by the film. At the well-attended funeral service, an emotional Sue is unable to continue reading her eulogy
after a few sentences, and Will reads the remainder for her. The glee club then sings "Pure Imagination", a song from the film. Touched by his support, Sue tells Will he is a good friend and she will no longer go after the glee club. She will instead be running for the United States House of Representatives
on a platform of lowering health care costs, as her sister had faced significantly higher bills in her last few years. She then apologizes to Becky, reinstates her as a member of the Cheerios, and tells her she will be captain of the squad next year. As a final act of reconciliation, Sue asks for and receives a hug from Becky.
, Sue's campaign for congress is not going well. She decides to pledge to get rid of all arts programs in schools, music and theater especially, until all students are reading at or above grade level. Will's attempt to embarrass Sue and highlight the value of the arts by glitterbombing her backfires, and Sue's poll numbers rise. She also goes back on her promise to leave the glee club alone by having her new cheerleading co-captains, Becky and Santana, sabotage the club's recruitment drive. As Sue continues to promote her campaign, Will devises a plan with Emma to let someone he knows (namely Kurt's father, Burt Hummel) to run against her in order to thwart her actions from coming into fruition. With Burt taking the challenge in the campaign run, Sue continues to slander her opponent by delivering false statements about his personal life through her political ads. Will and Burt try to come up with a clever response to nullify the false statements, their plans are put on hold when they and Santana head into Sue's office. They are all informed another candidate - aside from her and Burt - is not only smearing Sue, but also using her own Cheerios squad member Santana for her lesbianism as an example. Devestated by her secret being out, Santana runs off crying with Sue apologizing for getting her unintentionally included with the campaign.
, 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. The casting notice described Sue as "the anal, tightly wound, and ruthlessly ambitious leader of the Harrison High cheer leading squad." 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.
, Lynch said she is "pure evil and doesn't hide it", explaining that she was created as a product of Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk's "inner mean girl". Lynch feels that Sue has the ability to be both "horrible and really delightful at the same time", assessing that she continually speaks her mind as she enjoys appalling people with the things she says. She encapsulates Sue's world view as being about "power and winning", stating that she will do anything to win. 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. 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.'" 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."
", she is given a dancing lesson by Will, to Louis Prima
's "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)". Her first vocal performance comes in the episode "The Power of Madonna
", in which Sue enacts a frame-by-frame recreation of Madonna's
"Vogue". The track features on the extended play
record Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
, released to accompany the episode, and charted at number 106 on the UK singles chart
. Sue duets with Olivia Newton-John
on her song "Physical
" in the episode "Bad Reputation
". This track was included on the soundtrack album
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
, as well as the compilation album
s Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One, and Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One Collection. Also released as a single available for download
, it charted both on the Billboard Hot 100
and internationally, peaking at number 89 in the US, 88 in Australia, 61 in Canada and 56 in the United Kingdom. During the second season, Sue duets with her mother Doris on "Ohio
" from the 1953 musical Wonderful Town
. The song was suggested to Murphy by Burnett, who felt that the lyrics were suited to her character's storyline.
-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series" by Entertainment Weekly
Ken Tucker. 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."
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. 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. The Los Angeles Times Shawna Malcom similarly praised Lynch's portrayal for keeping Sue from being "an over-the-top disaster." Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
suggested that the show would be less fun without Lynch's delivery.
Variety
Brian Lowry was critical of Lynch in early episodes, deeming Glee adult cast "over-the-top buffoons", and writing that she "chews through her material so relentlessly as to be fitfully funny but usually just plain annoying." 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."
, she won the "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" award. The following year, she won "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
, for her performance in the episode "The Power of Madonna
". She received the "Individual Achievement in Comedy
" award at the 2010 TCA Awards
, as well as the "Actress Comedy Series" accolade at the WIN Awards. Lynch was part of the Glee cast ensemble given the "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
. She was named "Favorite Female TV Star (Comedy)" at the Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards, run by the lesbian media website AfterEllen.com
, and won the "TV Performance of the Year: Musical or Comedy" award at the inaugural Dorian Awards, reflecting gay interest in the TV industry. The following year, Lynch tied in the same category with co-star Chris Colfer
. 2011 also saw Lynch named "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
, and "Favorite TV Comedy Actress" at the 37th People's Choice Awards
.
The role has earned Lynch nominations for several further awards. She was nominated in the "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" category at the 67th Golden Globe Awards
, and for "Best Supporting Actress" at the 2010 Satellite Awards
. Also in 2010, Sue was nominated "Choice TV: Villain" at the Teen Choice Awards
, and Lynch was nominated for the "Favorite TV Actress" award at the AfterEllen.com Visibility Awards. In 2011, she was nominated for the "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series" award 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".
wax museum
in Hollywood. A wax figure
of Lynch as Sue was created, featuring the character's trademark tracksuit and bullhorn. At the August unveiling of the figure, Brennan commented that Sue would approve of being immortalized in such a manner.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
of the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
series, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode
Pilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Sue was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
, and Ian Brennan
Ian Brennan (writer)
Ian Brennan is a television writer, actor and producer. He is best known for his work on the television show Glee.-Early life:Brennan is the son of John and Charman Brennan. His sister, Sarah Brennan, is one of the founders of in Chicago...
. In Glee, Sue is the coach of the William McKinley High School cheerleading squad, and a ruthless bully to both students and faculty members alike. Because her cheerleading squad competes with the glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
for the school's limited funding, she is often at odds with the club and more particularly its director Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
). Sue Sylvester is the main antagonist of the series.
Due to Lynch's initial limited availability, Sue was originally set to be a recurring character while Lynch was working on a Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
pilot for ABC. When that pilot fell through, Sue became a starring role. The character has been acclaimed by critics. Mary McNamara for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
has written that "Lynch alone makes Glee worth watching", while Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
Ken Tucker has called Sue "the greatest Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series". On January 16, 2011, Lynch won the Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for her performance in the role, and won the Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Sue Sylvester.
Season 1
Throughout the first seasonGlee (season 1)
The first season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired on Fox in the United States. The pilot episode was broadcast as an advanced preview of the series on May 19, 2009, with the remainder of the season airing between September 9, 2009 and June 8, 2010...
of Glee, Sue makes numerous attempts at sabotaging the William McKinley High School glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, New Directions. She enlists members of her cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, to bring the club down from the inside, and conspires to lure away its star member, Rachel Berry
Rachel Berry (Glee)
Rachel Berry is a fictional character and de facto female lead from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Lea Michele, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Rachel was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad...
(Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
). Sue is appointed co-director of the club by Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba
Iqbal Theba is a Pakistani-American actor. Theba currently has a recurring role as Principal Figgins in the show Glee.-Life and career:Theba became a familiar face in the 1990s when he appeared in various TV shows and commercials in the United States....
), but soon scales back her involvement when her attempts to turn the club members against director Will Schuester
Will Schuester
William "Will" Schuester, often referred to as Mr. Schue, is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Matthew Morrison and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Will was developed by Glee...
(Matthew Morrison
Matthew Morrison
Matthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
) fail. Hoping to ruin the club's chances of winning at the show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
Sectionals competition, Sue gives New Directions' setlist to the directors of their rival glee clubs. Despite having to devise a new setlist at the last moment, New Directions win by unanimous decision and Sue is suspended by Figgins. She blackmails him into allowing her back, and is selected as a judge for the show choir Regionals competition. Sue is ridiculed by the other judges for her lack of fame and underdog status, allowing her to empathize with the glee club members. She votes for New Directions to win, and although they place last, she blackmails Figgins into allowing them another year to compete.
Sue's personal life is also explored over the course of the season. She has a commentary feature on the local television news, "Sue's Corner", which she uses to editorialize on issues such as support for caning
Caning
Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits with a single cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks or hand . Application of a cane to the knuckles or the shoulders has been much less common...
and littering. She falls in love with news anchor Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones), but their burgeoning relationship comes to an abrupt end when she discovers he is sleeping with his co-anchor, Andrea Carmichael (Earlene Davis). In the episode "Wheels
Wheels (Glee)
"Wheels" is the ninth episode of the American television series Glee. Written by series creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Paris Barclay, the episode premiered on the Fox network on November 11, 2009...
", Sue allows Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter), a sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
with Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, to join the Cheerios. Will is suspicious of her motives, increasingly so when Sue donates money to the school to fund three new ramps for students with disabilities. It is revealed that Sue's older sister Jean (Robin Trocki) also has Down syndrome, and lives in a residential care facility. Sue becomes a minor celebrity when Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
invites her to remake the video to "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
", after a viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
of Sue Jazzercising
Jazzercise
Jazzercise is a dance-based group fitness program. Each 60-minute Jazzercise class features a fusion of jazz dance, resistance training, Pilates, yoga, kickboxing, and Latin-style movements set to popular music. The Jazzercise program was founded in 1969 by Jazzercise CEO Judi Sheppard Missett...
to the track achieves internet notoriety. She donates her share of the profits to her sister's care home.
Season 2
At the onset of the second seasonGlee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
, Sue has formed a truce with Will, and together they conspire against the school's new football coach, Shannon Beiste (Dot Jones
Dot Jones
Dorothy-Marie "Dot" Jones is an athlete and actress who has had multiple roles in television. She attended California State University, Fresno, where she set records for shot put. Jones is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion...
). When Will comes to regret his actions and apologizes, Sue renews their enmity. She is appointed acting principal after having Figgins infected with the flu, but although the school board is so impressed with her performance they make her position permanent, she resigns when they refuse to uphold her expulsion of Dave Karofsky
Dave Karofsky
David "Dave" Karofsky, often referred to as Karofsky, is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Max Adler, and has appeared in Glee since its first season episode "Mash-Up", first broadcast on October 21, 2009...
(Max Adler), a bully who had threatened to kill glee club member Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
(Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
). After Sue learns that Rod and Andrea have become engaged, she announces her intention to marry herself. Her estranged mother Doris (Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
), a recently retired Nazi hunter
Nazi hunter
A Nazi-hunter is a private individual who tracks down and gathers information on alleged former Nazis, SS members and Nazi collaborators involved in the Holocaust, typically for use at trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity...
, visits in an attempt to make amends for her absentee parenting, but is continuously critical of her daughter, to the point that Sue disinvites her during her wedding ceremony. Doris leaves, and Sue and Jean comfort each other.
Sue grows disillusioned with cheerleading, and in an effort to recapture her love for it, plans to fire cheerleader Brittany Pierce
Brittany Pierce
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and has appeared in Glee from its second episode, "Showmance", first broadcast on September 9, 2009. Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan...
(Heather Morris) from a cannon during the team's next competitive routine. Brittany and her friends Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez
Santana Lopez is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Naya Rivera, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Santana was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera
Naya Marie Rivera is an American actress and singer known for her role in the musical comedy television series Glee, as cheerleader Santana Lopez.-Early life:...
) and Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray
Quinn Fabray is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dianna Agron, and has appeared in Glee since its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. She is a former cheerleader at the fictional William McKinley High School in...
(Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron
Dianna Agron is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Quinn Fabray on the television series Glee.-Early life:Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in San Antonio, Texas and San Francisco, California. She is the daughter of Mary and Ronald S. Agron, a general...
) ultimately quit the squad, which loses at Regionals after having won the national title for six straight years. Sue is named Loser of the Year in a televised interview with Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
, and has her budget slashed. Depressed, Sue stages a fake suicide, and as she hoped would happen, is convinced to temporarily join the glee club to lift her spirits, though she really wants to bring down the club from within. When her attempts to do so fail, Sue decides to become the coach of Aural Intensity, one of New Directions' Regionals competitors, and deliberately injures their director in order to get the job. Sue is furious when her club loses to New Directions, and punches the announcer in the face.
More intent than ever on destroying the glee club, Sue forms a "League of Doom", which consists of former glee club director Sandy Ryerson (Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
), the coach of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline, Dustin Goolsby (Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson is an American actor and singer. He started in regional theater when he moved to Seattle, and after moving to New York City, made his 2002 Broadway theatre debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie...
), and Will's ex-wife Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester
Terri Schuester is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Jessalyn Gilsig, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Terri was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig
Jessalyn Gilsig is a Canadian actress known for her roles in the television series Boston Public, Nip/Tuck and as Will Schuester's ex-wife Terri Schuester in Glee...
). Their first mission, to ruin a New Directions benefit, fails when Sandy is won over by a performance from Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones
Mercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
) and donates the full amount needed. Devastated by Jean's death from pneumonia, Sue turns to Terri, who has the glee club's plane tickets for Nationals changed from New York to Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. She also removes Becky from the Cheerios, because she reminds her of her sister. Kurt and his stepbrother Finn
Finn Hudson
Finn Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Cory Monteith, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Finn was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
) help Sue to clean out Jean's things, and she accepts their offer to have New Directions perform at the funeral, as she is afraid no one else will come. While going through Jean's belongings, Finn and Kurt discover that Jean's favorite movie was Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
, and arrange a funeral inspired by the film. At the well-attended funeral service, an emotional Sue is unable to continue reading her eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
after a few sentences, and Will reads the remainder for her. The glee club then sings "Pure Imagination", a song from the film. Touched by his support, Sue tells Will he is a good friend and she will no longer go after the glee club. She will instead be running for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
on a platform of lowering health care costs, as her sister had faced significantly higher bills in her last few years. She then apologizes to Becky, reinstates her as a member of the Cheerios, and tells her she will be captain of the squad next year. As a final act of reconciliation, Sue asks for and receives a hug from Becky.
Season 3
At the start of the third seasonGlee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
, Sue's campaign for congress is not going well. She decides to pledge to get rid of all arts programs in schools, music and theater especially, until all students are reading at or above grade level. Will's attempt to embarrass Sue and highlight the value of the arts by glitterbombing her backfires, and Sue's poll numbers rise. She also goes back on her promise to leave the glee club alone by having her new cheerleading co-captains, Becky and Santana, sabotage the club's recruitment drive. As Sue continues to promote her campaign, Will devises a plan with Emma to let someone he knows (namely Kurt's father, Burt Hummel) to run against her in order to thwart her actions from coming into fruition. With Burt taking the challenge in the campaign run, Sue continues to slander her opponent by delivering false statements about his personal life through her political ads. Will and Burt try to come up with a clever response to nullify the false statements, their plans are put on hold when they and Santana head into Sue's office. They are all informed another candidate - aside from her and Burt - is not only smearing Sue, but also using her own Cheerios squad member Santana for her lesbianism as an example. Devestated by her secret being out, Santana runs off crying with Sue apologizing for getting her unintentionally included with the campaign.
Casting and creation
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 WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, 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. The casting notice described Sue as "the anal, tightly wound, and ruthlessly ambitious leader of the Harrison High cheer leading squad." At the time she was cast as Sue, Lynch was already committed to do a Damon Wayans
Damon Wayans
Damon Kyle Wayans is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor, one of the Wayans brothers.-Early life:Wayans was born in New York City, New York, the son of Elvira, a homemaker and social worker, and Howell Wayans, a supermarket manager...
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.
Characterization
Sue is initially presented as the glee club's "arch-nemesis". Following the pilot episodePilot (Glee)
"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the television series Glee, which premiered on the Fox network on May 19, 2009. An extended director's cut version aired on September 2, 2009. The show focuses on a high school show choir, also known as a glee club, set within the fictional William McKinley High...
, Lynch said she is "pure evil and doesn't hide it", explaining that she was created as a product of Murphy, Brennan and Falchuk's "inner mean girl". Lynch feels that Sue has the ability to be both "horrible and really delightful at the same time", assessing that she continually speaks her mind as she enjoys appalling people with the things she says. She encapsulates Sue's world view as being about "power and winning", stating that she will do anything to win. 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. 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.'" The second season episode "Grilled Cheesus
Grilled Cheesus
"Grilled Cheesus" is the third episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 25th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on the Fox network on October 5, 2010...
" 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
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Jayma Mays
Jayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
), which Murphy describes as the scene he is "most proud to have been involved with in [his] entire career."
Musical performances
Sue performs in several of the series' musical numbers. In the first season episode "Mash-UpMash-Up (Glee)
"Mash-Up" is the eighth episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on October 21, 2009. It was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Elodie Keene...
", she is given a dancing lesson by Will, to Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
's "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)". Her first vocal performance comes in the episode "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...
", in which Sue enacts a frame-by-frame recreation of Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
"Vogue". The track features on the extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
record Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna
Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna is the first extended play by the cast of the musical television series Glee. It contains eight songs from the season one Glee episode, "The Power of Madonna", which was a tribute episode dedicated to American recording artist Madonna...
, released to accompany the episode, and charted at number 106 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Sue duets with Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
on her song "Physical
Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
"Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's...
" in the episode "Bad Reputation
Bad Reputation (Glee)
"Bad Reputation" is the 17th episode of the American television series, Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 4, 2010. It was directed by Elodie Keene, and written by series creator Ian Brennan. In "Bad Reputation", cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester is publicly ridiculed when a...
". This track was included on the soundtrack album
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers
-Sales and chart performance:The album debuted at number one on the American, Australian, Canadian, and Irish charts. It sold 136,000 copies in its first and 63,000 in its second week of release in the US, and saw the Glee cast beat the record previously set by The Beatles in 1966, for shortest...
, as well as the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One, and Glee: The Music, The Complete Season One Collection. Also released as a single available for download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
, it charted both on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and internationally, peaking at number 89 in the US, 88 in Australia, 61 in Canada and 56 in the United Kingdom. During the second season, Sue duets with her mother Doris on "Ohio
Ohio (1953 song)
"Ohio" is a song from the 1953 Broadway musical Wonderful Town, sung by the protagonists, bemoaning the fact that they had left Ohio for New York.It was written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green....
" from the 1953 musical Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town
Wonderful Town is a musical with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein...
. The song was suggested to Murphy by Burnett, who felt that the lyrics were suited to her character's storyline.
Critical response
Sue was lauded as "the greatest BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series" by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
Ken Tucker. In an early review, Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
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."
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. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
'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. The Los Angeles Times Shawna Malcom similarly praised Lynch's portrayal for keeping Sue from being "an over-the-top disaster." Raymund Flandez of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
suggested that the show would be less fun without Lynch's delivery.
Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
Brian Lowry was critical of Lynch in early episodes, deeming Glee adult cast "over-the-top buffoons", and writing that she "chews through her material so relentlessly as to be fitfully funny but usually just plain annoying." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
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."
Accolades
Lynch has won a number of awards for her portrayal of Sue. At the 2009 Satellite AwardsSatellite Awards 2009
The 2009 Satellite Awards, honoring the year's outstanding performers, films, television shows, DVDs, and interactive media, were presented by the International Press Academy at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 20, 2009...
, she won the "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" award. The following year, she won "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...
, for her performance in the episode "The Power of Madonna
The Power of Madonna
"The Power of Madonna" is the 15th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on April 20, 2010...
". She received the "Individual Achievement in Comedy
TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy
The TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy is an award given by the Television Critics Association.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-External links:*...
" award at the 2010 TCA Awards
TCA Awards
The TCA Awards are awards presented by the Television Critics Association in recognition of excellence in television excellence. There are eleven categories, which are presented every summer.-Categories:...
, as well as the "Actress Comedy Series" accolade at the WIN Awards. Lynch was part of the Glee cast ensemble given the "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" award at the 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
16th Screen Actors Guild Awards
----Best Cast - Motion Picture: Inglourious Basterds----Best Cast - Drama Series: Mad Men Best Cast - Comedy Series: Glee ...
. She was named "Favorite Female TV Star (Comedy)" at the Lesbian/Bi People's Choice Awards, run by the lesbian media website AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com, founded in April 2002, is a website that focuses on the portrayal of lesbian and bisexual women in the media. AfterElton.com, its brother site for gay and bisexual men, was launched in January 2005. The websites were founded by Sarah Warn, who initially served as the editor in...
, and won the "TV Performance of the Year: Musical or Comedy" award at the inaugural Dorian Awards, reflecting gay interest in the TV industry. The following year, Lynch tied in the same category with co-star Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
. 2011 also saw Lynch named "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
68th Golden Globe Awards
The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais....
, and "Favorite TV Comedy Actress" at the 37th People's Choice Awards
37th People's Choice Awards
The 37th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2010, were held on January 5, 2011 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and were broadcast live on CBS at 9:00 pm ET...
.
The role has earned Lynch nominations for several further awards. She was nominated in the "Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film" category at the 67th Golden Globe Awards
67th Golden Globe Awards
The 67th Golden Globe Awards was telecasted live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 17, 2010 by NBC, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM and 8:00PM – 11:00 PM . The ceremonies were hosted by Ricky Gervais, and were broadcast live for the first time.Nominations were...
, and for "Best Supporting Actress" at the 2010 Satellite Awards
Satellite Awards 2010
The 2010 Satellite Awards, honoring the year's outstanding performers, films, television shows, DVDs, and interactive media, were presented by the International Press Academy at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 19, 2010...
. Also in 2010, Sue was nominated "Choice TV: Villain" at the Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
, and Lynch was nominated for the "Favorite TV Actress" award at the AfterEllen.com Visibility Awards. In 2011, she was nominated for the "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series" award at the 17th Screen Actors Guild Awards
17th Screen Actors Guild Awards
----Best Cast - Motion Picture: The King's Speech----Best Cast - Drama Series: Boardwalk Empire----Best Cast - Comedy Series: Modern Family...
, and was also part of an ensemble nomination for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series".
Impact
Lynch was selected as the 2010 principal honoree of Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
wax museum
Wax museum
A wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses....
in Hollywood. A wax figure
Wax figure
A wax sculpture is a sculpture made in wax. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief....
of Lynch as Sue was created, featuring the character's trademark tracksuit and bullhorn. At the August unveiling of the figure, Brennan commented that Sue would approve of being immortalized in such a manner.
External links
- Sue Sylvester at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...