Gleeky

“We had a meeting, and you know we’ve become like a family, and I said to [the cast], ‘Anybody who wants to stay on the show will stay on the show,’” he said. To be clear, that includes McKinley staff played by Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, and Jayma Mays. “They’re all coming back,” Murphy continued. “Anyone who is a regular is coming back. Everyone said yes.” 

At the same time, Murphy isn’t specifying how long “coming back” means for certain characters. “It doesn’t mean everyone will be doing 22 episodes, but everyone wants to stay in our family and our world,’” he said. “I wanted to make sure those actors know that if they want to have a home, they have a home. If they want to explore new and different things while also having a home, that is also an option.”

We don’t know much yet about season 4, but it will reportedly be taking place in both Lima and New York. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson are also both apparently guest starring next season. Plus, don’t forget that the show is moving to Thursdays at nine!

Brace yourselves, Gleeks.

Glee exec producer Ryan Murphy just told to The Hollywood Reporter that not only will Rachel, Finn and Kurt graduate from McKinley High at the end of the upcoming third season, but all three of their portrayers — Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer — are “not going to be back at all for Season 4.”

That’s right, kids. He said At. All.

“You can keep them on the show for six years and people will criticize you for not being realistic,” he added, “or you can be really true to life and say when they started the show they were very clearly sophomores and they should graduate at the end of their senior year.

“We’ve never done anything by the book,” Murphy continued. “We made that decision and I involved Chris and Lea and they thought that was a good idea. They both trust the writing and trust me and felt that it would be great to have an open and closed experience for them to go out while they were on top.”

Murphy goes on to acknowledge that unlike Colfer and Michele, he has yet to discuss any of this with Monteith. But it shouldn’t come as much of a shock since the actor knew Finn “was a sophomore when the show started.”

Glee co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy used to worry about how fans would react to the introduction of new characters to the show’s merry band of musical high-school outcasts. But as he plans Season 3 of Fox’s smash hit — including a long-envisioned “endgame,” a graduation strategy for New Directions’ senior classmen, and a fresh crop of young talent (including one warbler from his new Oxygen reality series The Glee Project) — Murphy says he’s put those worries behind him. ”It’s all about the stories and characters,” says Murphy. “It’s our job to find new [stars] that people will love, but I never feel like we’re replacing anybody. The [core] characters are irreplaceable.” With that philosophy in mind, here’s what Murphy says you can expect from Season 3:

Character Will Trump Razzle-Dazzle and Bold-Faced Guest Stars | “Season 2 was definitely about bigger, better, flashier,” says Murphy. “And I loved so much about Season 2. I loved the Gwyneth story. I loved the bullying story. Chris Colfer and Darren Criss did an amazing job, as did Max Adler. But Season 3 we decided is going to be character, character, character.” How will that manifest itself? For starters, there’ll be only one musical tribute episode — though it’ll be a biggie. “It’s one I’ve been working on for two years — it took forever to clear — with a really big artist,” Murphy teases. Oh, and don’t expect a parade of Oscar winners, pop divas, and Broadway vets to populate the McKinley High hallways. “We’re not going to have any guest stars,” says Murphy. “And we’re going to do fewer songs.”

New Directions’ Unsung Heroes Are About to Start Singing | “We’re writing stuff this year for [characters] who haven’t had those big stories,” says the exec producer. “We have an amazing Mercedes story. We have a great Mike and Tina story. They’re fascinating. I love them as performers and it’s time they get their due. Also, Matt Morrison last year didn’t really have the big, huge arc he had in Season 1, but he will in the upcoming season.”

A Change Is Gonna Come for Sue Sylvester — Personally and Professionally | “We have an amazing 20-episode arc for Jane Lynch that’s quite fantastic,” says Murphy, and it will partly focus on her character’s campaign for Congress. “We’ve decided it’s a little tired for Sue to be constantly trying to destroy the glee club. We did that, and we did that well. But now it’s time for Sue to stop picking on the glee club and time for her to start picking on the country,” Murphy says with a laugh. What’s more, Our Lady of Track Suits will also be involved in some romantic intrigue. “One thing I’m looking for is someone for Sue Sylvester to love. Who is that person — man or woman? Who is man enough to love Sue Sylvester? That’s an interesting idea,” Murphy adds. “Jane did that Rod Remington romantic arc so well, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to find for her. How would Sue date? I’m interested in that.”

Blaine, Sam, and Lauren Are in Limbo…Till at Least Next Week Anyway | Murphy says no decision has been made regarding the status for Darren Criss (Blaine), Chord Overstreet (Sam), or Ashley Fink (Lauren). “We’ve just started to write [the new season], so I don’t know who we’re bringing back or who we’re letting go. We’ll be deciding that in the next week or so,” says Murphy. “I don’t think of it as coming down to the wire, I just look at it as, ‘Okay, what are the stories?’ That’s what it’s about for me next season.”

Murphy Has Been Planning the Season 3 Endgame for Three Years Now | “We now have a writing staff of nine people, and they’re all great, heavy hitters,” boasts Murphy. As a result, he and co-creator Brad Falchuk have decided to point the show toward the exact endgame Murphy envisioned when he first pitched Glee more than three years ago. To that end…

Don’t Look for the McKinley Class of 2012 to Roam the School’s Hallways Come Sept. 2012, Unless… | Murphy says he was shocked that his recent interview with Ryan Seacrest — during which he reiterated his plans to have McKinley’s seniors get their caps and gowns by season’s end – got such widespread pickup, seeing how he’s made his plan public for the last year. “The show to me is about the way you express yourself as you start to move out into the world as a fresh, young person. Do we really want to have an eight-year senior?” he asks. “The only way somebody could stay on the show is if they flunk, and that is always a possibility. I think Brittany is pulling straight Fs.” Asked if he might change course and brainstorm some last-minute plot twists that would allow, for example, Puck to score a gig as an assistant football coach at McKinley, Murphy offers a firm “No.”

Then Again, Don’t Assume Some of Your Favorite New Directions Members Won’t Resurface in a Spinoff Series | Presented with the concept of Rachel and Kurt and a few of their pals spearheading a new hour on Fox about a group of young artists who head to New York City to pursue their musical theater dreams, Murphy doesn’t immediately shoot it down. “It’s an interesting idea,” he says. “The questions are ‘How would we do it? And when would we do it?’ It would have to be something I would talk about to Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly and Dana Walden and Gary Newman. What we’re trying to do now — maybe those discussions will happen around December — we’re just now trying to do the first 10 episodes.” Not that Murphy’s brain hasn’t dabbled with a flash-forward to Rachel’s future. “I keep saying that with the new Funny Girl revival, they should just say it’s Rachel Berry in Funny Girl — get Lea to do that, but as Rachel Berry. It would be a crowd-pleaser.”

While there’s no word if the pop princess herself will appear on the hit show, “Glee” creator/writer Ryan Murphy tells ET that the show is currently in the middle of writing a Spears episode.

The hit show, earning 19 Emmy noms Thursday, will also air a big tribute episode after next year’s Super Bowl, but Murphy didn’t reveal which star it will be based on, only hinting that we were “close” by guessing Michael Jackson.

Co-creator RYAN MURPHY on which one of the show’s 19 nominations made him the happiest: “I was obviously thrilled for all of them, but the one that I was just like, ‘Holy s—, that is just great’ was Chris Colfer. I think that was such a crowded, difficult category with so many great people. And, you know, he’s 20 years old and this is the first thing he’s ever done. He literally got off a bus in Clovis and walked in, and we wrote the part for him. I was just like a proud papa with him. People love his character [Kurt], and I think it was risky for him to be that young and play somebody who was so forthright and out and proud and struggling and flawed. But he stepped into those shoes and embraced it and made it his own. I think that he’s done so much for young people and showed them so much.”

Supporting-actor contender CHRIS COLFER on being nominated along with TV dad Mike O’Malley: “It means the world to me because I honestly couldn’t do what I do without him being such an awesome, awesome actor and a great person to work with. I’m more excited [about his nod] than I am about mine because he deserves it and puts his whole heart into everything he does. I’m so, so happy. I feel like his own kid because I am so proud of him.”

Leading lady LEA MICHELE on sharing this experience with good friend (and fellow nominee) Matthew Morrison: “I’ve known Matt for years now, and every time these things happen we have these moments where we are like, ‘Wow.’ From working on Broadway to being nominated for Golden Globes together and now an Emmy. It’s just unbelievable how life has been these days.”

Clearly, Glee’s millions of fans applaud show creator Ryan Murphy’s agenda to promote acceptance of everyone, regardless of race, creed or sexual orientation. But for the Fox hit’s more conservative fans, Murphy has something special in the works.

“I’m adding a Christian character,” he says. “We’ve taken a couple jabs at the right wing this year, so what I want to do with this character is have someone who Christian kids and parents can recognize and say, ‘Oh, look—I’m represented there, too!’ If we’re trying to form a world of inclusiveness, we’ve got to include that point of view as well.”

Murphy says this character (yet to be cast) will speak her mind and be listened to and respected — though likely not by Kurt, whose homosexuality she won’t accept. This perky New Directions addition, coming next season, will also object to some of the club’s sexually suggestive music selections. Good thing they got Madonna and Gaga in early!

Two characters we won’t see yet: Rachel’s dads. “I like feeling their parenting influence without meeting them,” says Murphy. “At least for another season.”

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Isn’t Quinn Christian?

Anyway. This must be the ‘Rachel’s rival’ character that they talked about earlier. I have a funny feeling I am going to despise dislike her.