‘Glee’ May Not Return Until November Following Cory Monteith’s Death
UPDATE: The Coroners Service of British Columbia has reportedly stated that Cory Monteith, 31, died of mixed toxicity, and that heroin and alcohol were found in his body. The actor passed away over the weekend, and buzz is flying about when Glee will return to the air on Fox, plus how the series will choose to deal with the unfortunate loss of its main male lead. While the show was scheduled to have Season 5 kick off on September 19, with production previously set to begin next week, that all now seems unlikely.
A Fox source has told the New York Daily News that production may now be delayed a month “to let everyone breathe.” As is, the airing of Glee and other series on the network is typically interrupted in October by Major League Baseball playoffs, so if the Fox source is correct, that could push the premiere of the musical dramedy’s fifth season back to November.
Meanwhile, Oxygen has decided not to carry on with spinoff show The Glee Project — a decision that was reportedly made weeks ago by the cable channel, before the death of Cory Monteith.
“The Glee Project will not be returning to Oxygen, but we are extremely proud of this series which launched the careers of several talented individuals. The show had so much heart and we thank Ryan Murphy and all of the creative talent who helped make the series a critical darling,” a network rep said to Entertainment Weekly in a statement.
The Glee Project aired on Oxygen for two seasons, and brought stardom to Damien McGinty, whose character Rory Flanagan appeared in Season 3 of Glee, and Blake Jenner, who starred as Ryder Lynn in Season 4 and is set to return as a cast regular this fall.
Over the weekend, McGinty tweeted the following about Monteith: “The guy I shot my first acting scene with. The nicest guy I’ve met. I can’t believe it.”
Will you be tuning in to Glee this fall, following the death of Cory Monteith? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter.
