Glee Plans Tribute Episode for Cory Monteith; Season Five Details Announced

Ryan Murphy reveals how Glee will handle the death of one of its original stars, Cory Monteith. According to co-creator Ryan Murphy’s interview with TVLine.com, Glee will return on September 26 (one week later than scheduled) with two Beatles-centric episodes, and then it will air a third episode, which will address Monteith’s death, before going on a lengthy hiatus. Murphy says all plans involving Monteith and Glee have been approved by Monteith’s co-star and real-life girlfriend Lea Michele.

“We made no decisions without consulting Lea,” Murphy said. “[Executive producer] Brad Falchuk and I talked to Lea and really asked her what she wanted to do. We laid out every possible option. And she was very adamant that she thought it was best for the cast and crew to get back together sooner [rather] than later so that mortgages could be paid and people could take care of their families. Cory was so beloved that she felt people really needed to be together in this time. So we sort of followed her lead.”

Murphy did not say how the show would write off the character of Finn Hudson, but he did add, “[It] has to be done very carefully and with a lot of taste and really making sure that it’s a tribute to Cory.” The writers will then work to reconfigure the season. Murphy said that Glee will have on set grief counselors to aid the cast and crew for the first two weeks of filming on season five.

Monteith died of an apparent overdose at the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel in Vancouver, Canada on July 13. He was 31 years old.