Tina Cohen-Chang
Encyclopedia
Tina Cohen-Chang is a fictional character
from the Fox
musical
comedy-drama
series Glee
. The character is portrayed by actress Jenna Ushkowitz, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode
, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Tina was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
and Ian Brennan
. Initially, she is a shy and insecure performer with a fake stutter, and member of the glee club
at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio
, where the show is set.
. Throughout the episode it is made clear that she speaks with a stutter. Her first solo performance as part of the club is "Tonight" from West Side Story
. Fellow club member Rachel Berry (Lea Michele
) had wanted the solo for herself, and quits New Directions in protest. Tina feels bad that she caused Rachel to quit, but Mr. Schuester continues to support her. In the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
", Tina and Mercedes are both taught to shoplift by new glee club member April Rhodes (Kristen Chenoweth), and Tina later appears with suspiciously new clothes. Tina goes on a date with Artie Abrams
(Kevin McHale), and confesses to him that she has been faking her speech impediment since the sixth grade, explaining that, as a painfully shy girl, she had wanted to drive others away. However, she says that, since she has joined the glee club, she no longer wants to do that. Artie, a paraplegic, is hurt that she lied to him, as he had thought that they had a connection. In the episode "Hairography
", Tina is awarded lead vocals on "True Colors
".
After a few months, Artie forgives Tina, but makes misogynistic comments about her appearance, suggesting that she should begin wearing more revealing clothes if she wants to be with him. Tina shouts at him, prompting Artie to apologize, and the two reunite. In the episode "Dream On
", Tina tries to help Artie achieve his dream, which is to dance. Of course, this proves to be impossible, as Artie can barely walk even with crutches. During a vampire craze at McKinley in the "Theatricality" episode, Principal Figgins bans Tina's gothic wardrobe. After dressing like Lady Gaga, she learns to be theatrical and scares Figgins into letting her wear her regular clothing by dressing as a vampire, which Figgins seems to believe is real.
The season two premiere, "Audition
", exposits that over the summer, Tina began dating Mike Chang
(Harry Shum, Jr.
). She cites Artie's poor and occasionally chauvinistic treatment of her as her boyfriend; she and Mike had grown closer as camp counselors together at "Asian Camp". Tina and Mike begin to have problems during the club's duet competition ("Duets
"), but resolve them when they perform "Sing!" from A Chorus Line
: Mike speaking the lines, Tina singing, and both dancing to complex choreography. During the club's production of The Rocky Horror Show
, Tina co-performs the role of Columbia with Brittany. After neither is awarded a solo for Sectionals, both Tina and Mercedes lead the group in singing "Dog Days Are Over
". Tina dedicated her performance of "My Funny Valentine
" to her boyfriend Mike, but broke down during the middle of it; later, in "A Night Of Neglect
", she sang "I Follow Rivers
" by Lykke Li
but was booed of the stage by Sue's gang of saboteurs. She and Mike currently have the longest-lasting relationship on the show, and she reveals in the third season episode "The First Time
" that she and Mike had first slept together over the summer—she describes it as magical. She also helps Mike with his singing, to the point that he's able to win the part of Riff in McKinley's West Side Story
auditions.
. The Glee casting associate in New York had previously cast Ushkowitz in Spring Awakening
. Ushkowitz was initially given little information about Tina's back story, and believed that her stutter was real. She was pleased when the truth was revealed, however, explaining: "It would have been fun to keep it because that just gives her one more quirk, but this opens up a whole new set of doors for Tina." Ushkowitz has created her own back story for Tina, and believes that she is rebelling against her mother rather than genuinely being a Goth, explaining: "I don't think her room is filled with dark posters and heavy metal stuff—I just think this is a phase she's going through. There's definitely a lot of options for all the characters to evolve and change next year. I'm totally rooting for Tina to join The Cheerios or something crazy like that." Ushkowitz is close to her co–star Kevin McHale, and the two of them are in support of the relationship between their characters, referred to by the portmanteau "Artina", for Artie and Tina. McHale described Artie and Tina's relationship as being similar to the one between Cory (Ben Savage
) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel
) in the ABC
comedy–drama Boy Meets World
, and believes they will always be together. The two characters did break up between seasons one and two, and there are no plans yet to bring them back together in season three.
Although a number of the student cast members will be seniors in the third season and will be graduating when it ends, it was stated at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con that Tina will be a junior, and hence not graduating with them.
, available for digital download
, and was included on the soundtrack album
Glee: The Music, Volume 2
. The song charted at number 47 in Australia, 38 in Canada, 15 in Ireland, 35 in the United Kingdom, and 66 in the United States. Following the broadcast of "Theatricality
", "Asian Vampires" became the fifth most discussed topic on the social networking website Twitter
, in reference to Tina's storyline.
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 actress Jenna Ushkowitz, 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. Tina 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...
. Initially, she is a shy and insecure performer with a fake stutter, and member of 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...
at the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
, where the show is set.
Storylines
Tina auditions for the glee club with the song "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy PerryKaty Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
. Throughout the episode it is made clear that she speaks with a stutter. Her first solo performance as part of the club is "Tonight" from West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
. Fellow club member 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...
) had wanted the solo for herself, and quits New Directions in protest. Tina feels bad that she caused Rachel to quit, but Mr. Schuester continues to support her. In the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken
The Rhodes Not Taken
"The Rhodes Not Taken" is the fifth episode of the American television series Glee. It premiered on the Fox network on September 30, 2009 and was written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by John Scott...
", Tina and Mercedes are both taught to shoplift by new glee club member April Rhodes (Kristen Chenoweth), and Tina later appears with suspiciously new clothes. Tina goes on a date with Artie Abrams
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 confesses to him that she has been faking her speech impediment since the sixth grade, explaining that, as a painfully shy girl, she had wanted to drive others away. However, she says that, since she has joined the glee club, she no longer wants to do that. Artie, a paraplegic, is hurt that she lied to him, as he had thought that they had a connection. In the episode "Hairography
Hairography
"Hairography" is the eleventh episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on November 25, 2009. It was written by series creator Ian Brennan and directed by Bill D'Elia. The episode introduces New Directions' rival glee clubs, the Jane Addams Girls Choir...
", Tina is awarded lead vocals on "True Colors
True Colors (song)
"True Colors" is a song written by songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, additional lyrics by Cyndi Lauper. It was both the title track and the first single released from Cyndi Lauper's second album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help write...
".
After a few months, Artie forgives Tina, but makes misogynistic comments about her appearance, suggesting that she should begin wearing more revealing clothes if she wants to be with him. Tina shouts at him, prompting Artie to apologize, and the two reunite. In the episode "Dream On
Dream On (Glee)
"Dream On" is the 19th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 18, 2010. It was directed by Joss Whedon and written by series creator Brad Falchuk. Neil Patrick Harris guest-stars as former glee club star Bryan Ryan...
", Tina tries to help Artie achieve his dream, which is to dance. Of course, this proves to be impossible, as Artie can barely walk even with crutches. During a vampire craze at McKinley in the "Theatricality" episode, Principal Figgins bans Tina's gothic wardrobe. After dressing like Lady Gaga, she learns to be theatrical and scares Figgins into letting her wear her regular clothing by dressing as a vampire, which Figgins seems to believe is real.
The season two premiere, "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...
", exposits that over the summer, Tina began dating Mike Chang
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...
). She cites Artie's poor and occasionally chauvinistic treatment of her as her boyfriend; she and Mike had grown closer as camp counselors together at "Asian Camp". Tina and Mike begin to have problems during the club's duet competition ("Duets
Duets
An original motion picture soundtrack CD was released on September 12, 2000 by Hollywood Records. The CD contained twelve tracks including the original music composed for the film by David Newman....
"), but resolve them when they perform "Sing!" from A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
: Mike speaking the lines, Tina singing, and both dancing to complex choreography. During the club's production of The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
, Tina co-performs the role of Columbia with Brittany. After neither is awarded a solo for Sectionals, both Tina and Mercedes lead the group in singing "Dog Days Are Over
Dog Days Are Over
"Dog Days Are Over" is the second single released by Florence and the Machine from their debut album Lungs. It was originally scheduled for release on November 24, 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK but was later pushed back for release on December 1, 2008...
". Tina dedicated her performance of "My Funny Valentine
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
" to her boyfriend Mike, but broke down during the middle of it; later, in "A Night Of Neglect
A Night of Neglect
"A Night of Neglect" is the seventeenth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 39th episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Carol Banker, and aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2011...
", she sang "I Follow Rivers
I Follow Rivers
"I Follow Rivers" is a song by Swedish recording artist Lykke Li from her second studio album, Wounded Rhymes . Produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Bjorn and John, it was released in Sweden on 21 January 2011 as the album's second single. The track premiered exclusively on SPIN.com on 10 January 2011...
" by Lykke Li
Lykke Li
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson , better known by her stage name Lykke Li , is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her music often blends elements of pop, indie rock and electronic; various instruments can also be found in her songs, including violins, synthesizers, tambourines, trumpets, saxophones and cellos...
but was booed of the stage by Sue's gang of saboteurs. She and Mike currently have the longest-lasting relationship on the show, and she reveals in the third season episode "The First Time
The First Time (Glee)
"The First Time" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 49th overall. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directed by co-executive producer Bradley Buecker, it first aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2011...
" that she and Mike had first slept together over the summer—she describes it as magical. She also helps Mike with his singing, to the point that he's able to win the part of Riff in McKinley's West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
auditions.
Development
In casting Glee, series creator Ryan Murphy sought out actors who could identify with the rush of starring in theatrical roles. Instead of using traditional network casting calls, he spent three months on Broadway, where he found Ushkowitz, who had previously starred in the Broadway revival of The King and IThe King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
. The Glee casting associate in New York had previously cast Ushkowitz in Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
. Ushkowitz was initially given little information about Tina's back story, and believed that her stutter was real. She was pleased when the truth was revealed, however, explaining: "It would have been fun to keep it because that just gives her one more quirk, but this opens up a whole new set of doors for Tina." Ushkowitz has created her own back story for Tina, and believes that she is rebelling against her mother rather than genuinely being a Goth, explaining: "I don't think her room is filled with dark posters and heavy metal stuff—I just think this is a phase she's going through. There's definitely a lot of options for all the characters to evolve and change next year. I'm totally rooting for Tina to join The Cheerios or something crazy like that." Ushkowitz is close to her co–star Kevin McHale, and the two of them are in support of the relationship between their characters, referred to by the portmanteau "Artina", for Artie and Tina. McHale described Artie and Tina's relationship as being similar to the one between Cory (Ben Savage
Ben Savage
Bennett Joseph "Ben" Savage is an American film and TV actor and child star of late 1980s and 1990s. Savage is best known for his role as lead character Cory Matthews on the TV sitcom Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000....
) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel
Danielle Fishel
Danielle Christine Fishel is an American actress and television personality best known for her role as Topanga Lawrence on the 1990s TV sitcom Boy Meets World and as the host of Style Network's The Dish...
) in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
comedy–drama Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...
, and believes they will always be together. The two characters did break up between seasons one and two, and there are no plans yet to bring them back together in season three.
Although a number of the student cast members will be seniors in the third season and will be graduating when it ends, it was stated at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con that Tina will be a junior, and hence not graduating with them.
Reception
"True Colors", featuring Ushkowitz as Tina on lead vocals, was released as a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, available for digital 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...
, and 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 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2
Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the second soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee, featuring songs from episodes nine to thirteen of the show's first season. It was first released on December 4, 2009 in Australia by Columbia Records...
. The song charted at number 47 in Australia, 38 in Canada, 15 in Ireland, 35 in the United Kingdom, and 66 in the United States. Following the broadcast of "Theatricality
Theatricality
"Theatricality" is the 20th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode was written and directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and premiered on the Fox network on May 25, 2010. In "Theatricality", glee club member Tina Cohen-Chang has an identity crisis...
", "Asian Vampires" became the fifth most discussed topic on the social networking website Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, in reference to Tina's storyline.
External links
- Tina Cohen-Chang 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...