The Rocky Horror Glee Show "Time Warp". When casting "Glee", series creator Ryan Murphy required that auditioning actors without theatrical experience demonstrate their ability to sing and dance as well as act. Mays, who was cast as guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, auditioned with the song "Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". In April 2009, Murphy told the "Los Angeles Times" that he would like to have Mays perform the song on "Glee". In October 2009, cast member Chris Colfer deemed "Time Warp" the song he would most like to perform on the show, and suggested a "Rocky Horror"-themed Halloween episode.
The Rocky Horror Glee Show fans without being a "homage for homage's sake" like the Spears episode, and Stack felt that "Rocky Horror" was a "perfect fit" for "Glee", due to thematic similarities between the two. While previous "Glee" tributes attracted criticism for their focus on musical numbers to the detriment of plot, Jenna Mullins of "E! Online" and CBS News Jessica Derschowitz appreciated that "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" was more story-driven. Critics generally disliked the focus the episode placed on the adult characters, with many objecting to Will's characterisation. VanDerWerff wrote that his storyline with Emma "misplac[ed] what made either of the characters