The song is over

Glee ends its tuneful six-season run, leaving behind a remarkable legacy

The Glee series finale delivered glorious news that William McKinley High School is being turned into an arts school and that Will Schuester, who started its glee club way back in 2009, will become its principal.

Oh, and that wondrous show choir, New Directions, won the national championship. But Glee always had the underlying message: With a song in your heart, dreams do come true.

Another dream fulfilled: Mercedes (Amber Riley) told the gang she’ll be the opening act on Beyonce’s upcoming world tour. Cue the songs: Teach Your Children ... Someday We’ll Be Together ... The Winner Takes It All ... Daydream Believer.

That’s how it went — happily ever after — as the Fox song-and-dance show concluded its six-season run on Friday night.

Oh, sure, there were some unexpected nightmares, too. Looking ahead five years, faculty mean girl Sue Sylvester was seen winning a second term as vice president of the United States (in the Jeb Bush administration). She announced to Geraldo Rivera that she planned to seek the presidency in 2024.

On a brighter note, five years from now Rachel will be a surrogate mom for gay couple Kurt and Blaine.

She’ll also be a Tony winner: “Being a part of something special does not make you special,” she said on accepting her award. “Something is special because you are a part of it.”

Glee leaves behind a remarkable legacy.

First of all, it dared to try something that had seldom if ever succeeded in television history, blending episodic narrative with musical production numbers.

It set those performances in the context of New Directions at fictitious McKinley High, a setting replete with stories about growing up, self-acceptance, perseverance and dreams.

Glee did something else few would have thought possible: It helped make glee clubs cool while it promoted arts programs in schools.

And it served as a platform for new talent, launching such stars as Lea Michele (Rachel) while giving wide exposure to veterans like Matthew Morrison (Will) and Jane Lynch (Sue).

During its mostly joyous run, Glee weathered loads of onscreen drama. But there was bitter, real-life drama, too — notably the death of Cory Monteith. A breakout star who played singer-quarterback Finn Hudson, he had struggled off-camera with substance abuse.

Then, in July 2013, he died at 31 of an accidental alcohol and drug overdose.

That October, Glee said goodbye to Finn (whose death, never described, was written into the series) while paying tribute to Monteith in an emotional farewell episode where reality intruded all too vividly on the show’s make-believe tale.

In the finale, the fabled high school auditorium five years from now will be renamed for Finn Hudson.

Meanwhile, reality intruded once again: For the characters at McKinley High, as well as the audience that has followed them with every note, graduation day has come. AP