MUMBAI: A lot of TV series which show the actors sing, lose out on authenticity if the performers are not up to snuff or if there is a mismatch between the singers’ voice and actors’ personality. So, the success mantra of TV shows, especially the ones with music as the essence, lies in casting actors who amaze the viewer’s not just with their spectacular performance onscreen but also with their singing ability.

Here’s a list of TV series where actors do not just lip sync the songs featured on the show because they can sing in real life too:

Empire

The American musical drama television series that centers on a hip hop music company has a cast of actual hip hop musicians and actors who can sing. Right from Terence Howard who has produced his own music album to Taraji Henson who has even won an Oscar for one of her songs, the series with its perfect musical cast never fails to fulfill its promise of being a seriously entertaining one. And the best part of the series is that the musical aspect is very reality based where performances come with the organic development of the characters as artists. Empire season 1 and 2 has started airing on  weekdays from 19th May, 2016 at 10pm on Star World and Star World HD          

Nashville

The stars of the American musical drama Nashville sing and not just for the show! The entire cast sings the songs for real and breathes life into lyrics that can keep the audience hooked. While the Stella sisters sang their way to stardom through Nashville, Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere are the award winning actresses the show owes its success to.

Smash

The runner up of the fifth season of American Idol, Katherine McPhee gained her fame in Smash, the musical drama which revolves around the creation of a new Broadway musical. And that’s not all; the other character Ivy Lynn who also competes to be Monroe on the show has been played by Megan Kathleen who has gained prominence due to her several roles in Broadway musicals.

Glee

Another musical dramedy which centers its plot on the high school glee club earned its fans primarily because the cast put together performance after performance with great vocals and stellar choreography. In fact, Matthew Morrison was cast after Murphy spent three months observing actors on Broadway. Chris Colfer and Jayma Mays are also singers who have contributed towards the numerous songs which have been a commercial success.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

A show without which the list will definitely be incomplete is the series that has changed the viewers’ perception about musical shows, by featuring two to three songs in each episode to narrate the plot musically is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The backbone of the show is undoubtedly the Golden Globe award winning actress, Rachel Bloom, who is not just a comedian or writer but also a fabulous musician. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has been renewed for season 2.