Sam Evans
Encyclopedia
Sam Evans is a recurring
fictional character
from the Fox
musical
comedy-drama
series Glee
. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet
, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season
premiere episode entitled "Audition
", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that season's final episode, "New York
", first broadcast on May 24, 2011. Sam is a transfer student to William McKinley High School who becomes a member of the football team, as well as a member of the glee club, New Directions. In his first episode, Sam performs Travie McCoy
's "Billionaire
" with some of the guys in the glee club, but does not show up for tryouts due to the low social status of the club's members. He later joins, and forms a relationship with head cheerleader Quinn Fabray
(Dianna Agron
), though they eventually break up.
The character has been mostly well-received by television critics, with Amy Semigran of MTV
commenting: "Turns out their strategy, as well as Sam's crush on singing partner Quinn, worked. Despite some mixed signals and apprehension on Quinn's part, the two turned out a cute little rendition of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's "Lucky". Overstreet has said that he takes pieces of himself and puts it into his character. Glee writers have incorporated aspects of Overstreet's personality and mannerisms into his character, such as his impersonations and Nashville background. As a member of the glee club, Sam regularly sings on the show, and has performed a number of solos and duets.
of the show's second season
. He is recruited for the school glee club, New Directions, by the club co-captain—and also football quarterback and team captain—Finn Hudson
(Cory Monteith
), and performs Travie McCoy
's "Billionaire
" with Finn, Puck
(Mark Salling), Artie
(Kevin McHale) and Mike
(Harry Shum, Jr.
). Despite his initial enthusiasm, Sam does not show up for the formal audition after seeing Finn get kicked off the football team, and because of the low social status of the glee club members. In Grilled Cheesus
, with Sam as quarterback and Finn returned to the team, Sam is injured during a play suggested by Finn, restoring Finn to quarterback. Sam officially joins the glee club in "Duets
". Kurt Hummel
(Chris Colfer
) immediately shows interest in him, thinking Sam is gay; Sam is unaware of Kurt's reasons, and agrees to be Kurt's duet partner because Kurt's a good singer, holding to his word despite Finn advising against duetting with another guy. Kurt ultimately calls off their duet to save Sam's reputation. After a slushee is thrown in his face, Quinn helps him clean up, and they later become partners in the glee club's duets competition. Sam and Quinn sing "Lucky
" by Jason Mraz
and Colbie Caillat
, and win when Finn and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
) vote for them to encourage Sam to stay in the club. Over dinner at Breadstix they form a rapport, and Quinn tells Sam that she considers the meal their first date.
In "Furt
", Sam tells Quinn that he loves her , offering her a promise ring
, which she initially will not accept. After another member of the football team, Dave Karofsky
(Max Adler), steps up his bullying of Kurt because of Kurt's sexuality, Artie and Mike confront him, and Sam joins the fight when the two are knocked down. Later, impressed by the way Sam stood up for Kurt, Quinn begins wearing his promise ring. In "Comeback
", Sam establishes a one-man tribute band to teen singer Justin Bieber
, hoping to win over his girlfriend Quinn, who he suspects still has feelings for her ex-boyfriend Finn. He performs "Baby
", dedicated to Quinn, and also excites the other girls in the club. Puck, Artie and Mike are impressed by the effect he has on the girls, and convince him to let them join his tribute band; the four later perform "Somebody to Love
", to the delight of all the girls in the glee club, and Quinn chooses Sam over Finn. When Santana Lopez
(Naya Rivera
) convinces Sam that Quinn cheated on him with Finn, he breaks up with her and begins dating Santana, though she later dumps him when she announces that she has fallen in love with Karofsky. Sam's father loses his job and their house is foreclosed on, forcing the family of five to live in a single motel room; he hides this from the glee club until it comes out in "Rumours
". When Rachel and Mercedes Jones
ask Sam to take them to the junior prom, sharing in their "prom on a budget" scheme in "Prom Queen
", he agrees. In the season two finale episode "New York
", Sam hugs Mercedes after the New Directions finishes performing at the Nationals competition. Back in Ohio, it is revealed that Mercedes and Sam are dating, but it is clear they are keeping it secret. In the third season
premiere, Mercedes reveals that Sam has moved out of state as his father found a new job there.
. Unlike much of the original cast, Glee creator Ryan Murphy did not find Overstreet on Broadway
. He landed the role after auditioning with Commodores
' "Easy" and Gavin DeGraw
's "I Don't Want to Be
". He later sang "Billionaire
" by Travie McCoy
featuring Bruno Mars
as a studio test, and eventually sang this in the season premiere
"Audition
", along with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn
" by Poison
. Following Overstreet's casting, media speculation suggested Sam might have been created as a boyfriend for Kurt. Overstreet later confirmed this, but stated that his storyline had been adjusted to pair Sam with Quinn, as a result of the chemistry the producers detected between himself and Agron. Chord Overstreet said of his casting process: "It was like a week long process. I did three or four auditions. I went in the casting office with Robert Ulrich and sang three or four songs. Did the studio test, network test, and I found out the next day and went right into the studio to record 'Billionaire.'"
Discussing his character in an interview with The TV Chick, Overstreet commented: "I think I put a little bit of my personality in him. I would say so. I’m such a nice, sweet guy that you don’t even have to act, it's me. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm not that full of myself. It's similar to my personality, I would say. I'm kind of goofy and say stupid things to girls when I’m attracted to them. And when I like them, I say stupid things without thinking like the Avatar stuff, that's very [much] something I would say." Overstreet said that the writers picked up lines from him and gave them to his character:
Executive Producer Brad Falchuk said that the relationship between Sam and Mercedes, revealed at the end of the second season, "was born out of the prom episode", and that the characters "have their reasons" for hiding it for now. However, with Overstreet leaving the show after the second season—his option to become a main character was not picked up, and according to Falchuk he decided not to accept a ten-episode recurring role in the third season with the possibility of further episodes or of becoming a series regular after that—Mercedes will find a new boyfriend during the summer. On October 24, 2011, Murphy officially announced that Sam would be returning as a recurring character starting with the season's eighth episode, "just in time for Sectionals".
said of the episode "Duets
": "Turns out their strategy, as well as Sam's crush on singing partner Quinn, worked. Despite some mixed signals and apprehension on Quinn's part, the two turned out a cute little rendition of Jason Mraz
and Colbie Caillat
's 'Lucky
'. It was so cute, in fact, Mr. Schue awarded them the winners of the challenge and sent them off on what would ultimately turn out to be their first date." The Sam-Quinn relationship has been generally well received by critics. Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times
commented: "The is-he-gay-or-is-he-straight storyline is resolved as these two sing a button-cute, guitariffic, blonde-meets-blond rendition of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's 'Lucky'. Is Quinn's return to abstinence in danger? Sam-I-Am might not like green eggs and ham, but he sure likes a certain flirty-eyed Cheerio. How do you say 'awww' in Na'vi?"
Anthony Benigno of Daily News commented on the relationship: "Meanwhile, Sam and Quinn are partnered, and Sam, having come from an all boys' school and devoid of social skills, takes Quinn's throwaway Avatar reference and runs with it. Yes, folks: our boy is spitting game in Na'vi. And Quinn's kind of digging it. Remember when I said this show was realistic with its sexual tension stuff? I take it back. Anyway, Quinn's kind of feeling Sam, but she'd rather keep her heart cold and shriveled so as not to risk her popularity again, so she tells him to take his hair and get lost. Problem is, she and Sam were the only team who stood a chance of knocking off Rachel and Finn, so Rachel and Finn cement their plan by singing a thoroughly offensive song (I'll get to that in a bit) and reuniting the giant-killers. And so succeeds evil machination #4. Sam and Quinn go on their free dinner on the condition that it soooo isn't a date. But Sam awkwardly praises Quinn's bravery after her fall from grace, while admitting his own terrible secret: he does, in fact, dye his hair." Benigno continues, "In any case, Quinn's heart grows four sizes and she puts away the gift certificate, because Sam, the gentleman, should pay on the first date. Sam's totally loving it, but wait till he realizes he's suddenly out 50 bucks. That's like, a month's worth of peroxide there, dude."
Recurring character
A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in an episode, sometimes being the main focus...
fictional character
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...
from 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 actor Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season
Glee (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...
premiere episode entitled "Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that season's final episode, "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
", first broadcast on May 24, 2011. Sam is a transfer student to William McKinley High School who becomes a member of the football team, as well as a member of the glee club, New Directions. In his first episode, Sam performs Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Travie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
's "Billionaire
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
" with some of the guys in the glee club, but does not show up for tryouts due to the low social status of the club's members. He later joins, and forms a relationship with head cheerleader 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...
), though they eventually break up.
The character has been mostly well-received by television critics, with Amy Semigran of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
commenting: "Turns out their strategy, as well as Sam's crush on singing partner Quinn, worked. Despite some mixed signals and apprehension on Quinn's part, the two turned out a cute little rendition of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's "Lucky". Overstreet has said that he takes pieces of himself and puts it into his character. Glee writers have incorporated aspects of Overstreet's personality and mannerisms into his character, such as his impersonations and Nashville background. As a member of the glee club, Sam regularly sings on the show, and has performed a number of solos and duets.
Storylines
Sam first appears on Glee during the first episodeAudition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
of the show's second season
Glee (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...
. He is recruited for the school glee club, New Directions, by the club co-captain—and also football quarterback and team captain—Finn Hudson
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:...
), and performs Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Travie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
's "Billionaire
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
" with Finn, Puck
Puck (Glee)
Noah "Puck" Puckerman is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Mark Salling, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Puck was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian...
(Mark Salling), Artie
Artie Abrams
Artie Abrams is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Kevin McHale, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Artie was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
(Kevin McHale) and Mike
Mike Chang
Michael "Mike" Chang, Jr. is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor and dancer Harry Shum, Jr., and has appeared on Glee since the fourth episode in the first season, "Preggers", first broadcast on September 23, 2009...
(Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr.
Harry Shum, Jr. is an American dancer, actor, and choreographer. He is best known for his role as Mike Chang on the FOX television show Glee. He has appeared in dance films such as Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up 3D...
). Despite his initial enthusiasm, Sam does not show up for the formal audition after seeing Finn get kicked off the football team, and because of the low social status of the glee club members. In 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...
, with Sam as quarterback and Finn returned to the team, Sam is injured during a play suggested by Finn, restoring Finn to quarterback. Sam officially joins the glee club in "Duets
Duets (Glee)
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 26th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010...
". 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...
) immediately shows interest in him, thinking Sam is gay; Sam is unaware of Kurt's reasons, and agrees to be Kurt's duet partner because Kurt's a good singer, holding to his word despite Finn advising against duetting with another guy. Kurt ultimately calls off their duet to save Sam's reputation. After a slushee is thrown in his face, Quinn helps him clean up, and they later become partners in the glee club's duets competition. Sam and Quinn sing "Lucky
Lucky (Jason Mraz song)
"Lucky" is a song by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. It is the third single from Mraz's third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song has been on the Billboard charts as well as on the other music charts worldwide....
" by Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
and Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...
, and win when Finn and Rachel Berry (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...
) vote for them to encourage Sam to stay in the club. Over dinner at Breadstix they form a rapport, and Quinn tells Sam that she considers the meal their first date.
In "Furt
Furt
"Furt" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 30th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Carol Banker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on November 23, 2010...
", Sam tells Quinn that he loves her , offering her a promise ring
Promise ring
A pre-engagement ring is a ring given to a romantic partner to signify a commitment to a monogamous relationship, often as a precursor to an engagement ring...
, which she initially will not accept. After another member of the football team, 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), steps up his bullying of Kurt because of Kurt's sexuality, Artie and Mike confront him, and Sam joins the fight when the two are knocked down. Later, impressed by the way Sam stood up for Kurt, Quinn begins wearing his promise ring. In "Comeback
Comeback (Glee)
"Comeback" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 35th overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Bradley Buecker, and premiered on Fox on February 15, 2011...
", Sam establishes a one-man tribute band to teen singer Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, hoping to win over his girlfriend Quinn, who he suspects still has feelings for her ex-boyfriend Finn. He performs "Baby
Baby (Justin Bieber song)
"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
", dedicated to Quinn, and also excites the other girls in the club. Puck, Artie and Mike are impressed by the effect he has on the girls, and convince him to let them join his tribute band; the four later perform "Somebody to Love
Somebody to Love (Justin Bieber song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song served as the second single from his album, My World 2.0. It was written by Bieber along with Heather Bright and The Stereotypes, and produced by the latter. The song was originally recorded as a demo by...
", to the delight of all the girls in the glee club, and Quinn chooses Sam over Finn. When 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:...
) convinces Sam that Quinn cheated on him with Finn, he breaks up with her and begins dating Santana, though she later dumps him when she announces that she has fallen in love with Karofsky. Sam's father loses his job and their house is foreclosed on, forcing the family of five to live in a single motel room; he hides this from the glee club until it comes out in "Rumours
Rumours (Glee)
"Rumours" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 41st overall. The episode was written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Tim Hunter, first aired on May 3, 2011 on Fox in the United States, and it features the return of...
". When Rachel and 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...
ask Sam to take them to the junior prom, sharing in their "prom on a budget" scheme in "Prom Queen
Prom Queen (Glee)
"Prom Queen" is the twentieth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 42nd overall. It aired May 10, 2011 on Fox in the United States. The episode was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and featured the return of guest...
", he agrees. In the season two finale episode "New York
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
", Sam hugs Mercedes after the New Directions finishes performing at the Nationals competition. Back in Ohio, it is revealed that Mercedes and Sam are dating, but it is clear they are keeping it secret. In the third season
Glee (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...
premiere, Mercedes reveals that Sam has moved out of state as his father found a new job there.
Development
Sam is portrayed by actor Chord OverstreetChord Overstreet
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans on the television series Glee.-Early life:...
. Unlike much of the original cast, Glee creator Ryan Murphy did not find Overstreet on 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...
. He landed the role after auditioning with Commodores
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
' "Easy" and Gavin DeGraw
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
's "I Don't Want to Be
I Don't Want to Be
"I Don't Want to Be" is a song by Gavin DeGraw appearing on his 2003 debut album Chariot. It was released as a single in Australia in 2004, and in the UK in 2005....
". He later sang "Billionaire
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
" by Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Travie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
featuring Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
as a studio test, and eventually sang this in the season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
"Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
", along with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album Open Up And Say... Ahh!. It is the band's only number-one hit in the U.S., reaching the top spot on Christmas Eve in 1988 for three weeks . It was...
" by Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
. Following Overstreet's casting, media speculation suggested Sam might have been created as a boyfriend for Kurt. Overstreet later confirmed this, but stated that his storyline had been adjusted to pair Sam with Quinn, as a result of the chemistry the producers detected between himself and Agron. Chord Overstreet said of his casting process: "It was like a week long process. I did three or four auditions. I went in the casting office with Robert Ulrich and sang three or four songs. Did the studio test, network test, and I found out the next day and went right into the studio to record 'Billionaire.'"
Discussing his character in an interview with The TV Chick, Overstreet commented: "I think I put a little bit of my personality in him. I would say so. I’m such a nice, sweet guy that you don’t even have to act, it's me. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm not that full of myself. It's similar to my personality, I would say. I'm kind of goofy and say stupid things to girls when I’m attracted to them. And when I like them, I say stupid things without thinking like the Avatar stuff, that's very [much] something I would say." Overstreet said that the writers picked up lines from him and gave them to his character:
Executive Producer Brad Falchuk said that the relationship between Sam and Mercedes, revealed at the end of the second season, "was born out of the prom episode", and that the characters "have their reasons" for hiding it for now. However, with Overstreet leaving the show after the second season—his option to become a main character was not picked up, and according to Falchuk he decided not to accept a ten-episode recurring role in the third season with the possibility of further episodes or of becoming a series regular after that—Mercedes will find a new boyfriend during the summer. On October 24, 2011, Murphy officially announced that Sam would be returning as a recurring character starting with the season's eighth episode, "just in time for Sectionals".
Reception
The character has received mainly positive reviews from television critics. Amy Semigran of MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
said of the episode "Duets
Duets (Glee)
"Duets" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 26th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan, directed by Eric Stoltz, and premiered on Fox on October 12, 2010...
": "Turns out their strategy, as well as Sam's crush on singing partner Quinn, worked. Despite some mixed signals and apprehension on Quinn's part, the two turned out a cute little rendition of Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
and Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California. She debuted in 2007 with Coco, which included hit singles "Bubbly", "Realize", and "The Little Things". In 2008, she recorded a duet with Jason Mraz, "Lucky", which won a Grammy. Caillat released her...
's 'Lucky
Lucky (Jason Mraz song)
"Lucky" is a song by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. It is the third single from Mraz's third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song has been on the Billboard charts as well as on the other music charts worldwide....
'. It was so cute, in fact, Mr. Schue awarded them the winners of the challenge and sent them off on what would ultimately turn out to be their first date." The Sam-Quinn relationship has been generally well received by critics. Amy Reiter 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....
commented: "The is-he-gay-or-is-he-straight storyline is resolved as these two sing a button-cute, guitariffic, blonde-meets-blond rendition of Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat's 'Lucky'. Is Quinn's return to abstinence in danger? Sam-I-Am might not like green eggs and ham, but he sure likes a certain flirty-eyed Cheerio. How do you say 'awww' in Na'vi?"
Anthony Benigno of Daily News commented on the relationship: "Meanwhile, Sam and Quinn are partnered, and Sam, having come from an all boys' school and devoid of social skills, takes Quinn's throwaway Avatar reference and runs with it. Yes, folks: our boy is spitting game in Na'vi. And Quinn's kind of digging it. Remember when I said this show was realistic with its sexual tension stuff? I take it back. Anyway, Quinn's kind of feeling Sam, but she'd rather keep her heart cold and shriveled so as not to risk her popularity again, so she tells him to take his hair and get lost. Problem is, she and Sam were the only team who stood a chance of knocking off Rachel and Finn, so Rachel and Finn cement their plan by singing a thoroughly offensive song (I'll get to that in a bit) and reuniting the giant-killers. And so succeeds evil machination #4. Sam and Quinn go on their free dinner on the condition that it soooo isn't a date. But Sam awkwardly praises Quinn's bravery after her fall from grace, while admitting his own terrible secret: he does, in fact, dye his hair." Benigno continues, "In any case, Quinn's heart grows four sizes and she puts away the gift certificate, because Sam, the gentleman, should pay on the first date. Sam's totally loving it, but wait till he realizes he's suddenly out 50 bucks. That's like, a month's worth of peroxide there, dude."