Gleeky

TVLINE | What was your reaction when you learned Glee had decided not to pick up your series regular option for Season 3?
Of course I was bummed initially. I had the best time working on the show and I had one of the best life experiences. It was a blast. But I decided to look at it as an opportunity to dive into my music.

TVLINE | The news broke when you were on the road for the final leg of the Glee concert tour. Was the cast supportive?
We spent the past 12, 13 months together, so we were like a family. I made some friends for life. They were all there for me. They were all really sweet.

TVLINE | The producers invited you back on a recurring basis with the possibility of becoming a regular later in the season, but you declined. Why?
I’ve been writing music my entire life and I had an opportunity to work on a record. It’s something I have a huge passion for. I did a lot of thinking and I felt like it was a good time to work on my album and focus on that avenue of my career. They offered me the chance to come back for a few episodes, but there was nothing guaranteed so I decided to dive into the music thing. And that’s been my main priority the past two months.

Reports of a mass exodus at the end of Glee‘s upcoming third season have apparently been greatly exaggerated.

On Sunday morning, Glee co-creator and exec producer Brad Falchuk told the standing room-only crowd attending the Fox megahit’s San Diego Comic-Con panel that Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith are not being let go from the show upon their characters’ May 2012 “graduation” and may very well be back for Season 4 — if not beyond.

“Here’s the exact thing: [Rachel, Kurt and Finn] are seniors, so they’re graduating,” Falchuk explained, “but because they’re graduating doesn’t mean they’re leaving the show. If you have Lea Michele under contract, you don’t say, ‘We’re gonna let you go.’” Plus, the EP pointed out, “A number of the original [cast members’ characters] are not graduating this year.”

Falchuk reiterated, “It was never our plan or our intention to let them go…. They are not done with the show after this season.”

The other, less positive piece of news coming out of the session — which was moderated by TVLine Editor-in-Chief Michael Ausiello — is that Chord Overstreet will not be back this fall — at all. According to Falchuk, Overstreet was offered a deal to return for 10 episodes with an eye towards becoming a series regular at midseason, but the 22-year-old actor declined.

Falchuck explained that Harry Shum Jr. (aka Mike) and Darren Criss (Blaine) successfully parlayed guest-starring turns into full-time promotions, and hoped to accomplish same for Overstreet. To that end, he said, “We did invite [Chord] back for a portion of the season … to see if being a regular was a possibility. But he declined the offer, which we were really disappointed by.”

Added Falchuk, “We wanted him back because we like Chord personally and had some good stories planned for him and with Mercedes. He decided he would have opportunities elsewhere that he would like to pursue, and we can’t force him to work, so we wished him well.”

Glee fans crying foul over show’s decision not to pick up Chord Overstreet’s Season 3 contract option can all just simmer down now. While it’s true that he wasn’t promoted to series regular along with co-stars Darren Criss and Harry Shum Jr., an insider has confirmed what TVLine originally reported — he also wasn’t fired and, in fact, is invited to continue on, same as usual, as a recurring player.

“His option to be a series regular was just not picked up at this time,” clarifies the source. “If Chord wants to appear on Glee, the choice is his. The Glee writers like his Sam character, and have plans to write for him. He and his reps have been told that he is welcome back to Glee, and everyone hopes he will show up on August 10 when filming begins.”

The insider points out that it took Shum “two years to become a regular,” adding, “If Chord has a great season, which we expect he will, then he will become a regular like Harry, possibly as early as January.”

As first reported by TVLine on Friday, Glee‘s Powers The Be have decided not to pick up Chord Overstreet‘s series regular option for the coming Season 3 — and boy, the young actor’s fans are upset.

Supporters of both Overstreet and his trouty-pouted character, Sam Evans, immediately took to Twitter to voice their frustrations, ultimately launching #DontCutTheChord, an organized movement to keep the McKinley High junior around this season.

As of Monday morning, two separate campaigns were afoot to show the Glee bosses that these Chord-cutting objectees mean business: The first encourages fans to buy Overstreet’s rendition of “Billionaire” on iTunes, which over the holiday weekend shot up from #64 to #5 on the series’ iTunes charts. The second effort is a simple Twitition, which thus far has collected nearly 11,000 signatures.

Though it doesn’t seem to be much consolation to fans, TVLine reported that Overstreet could still appear as an occasional Glee guest star.

It’s a case of good news/bad news for Glee fans.

First the good: Darren Criss (Blaine) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) have officially been upgraded to full-time series regulars, effective this fall with the start of Season 3.

And now for the not so good news…

Chord Overstreet‘s series regular option has not been picked up. However, a source close to the show says the actor — who joined the Fox hit last fall in the recurring role of McKinley transfer student Sam Evans — could return as an occasional guest star.

Late Friday, Overstreet issued a cryptic tweet saying, “It’s been a good year. Too bad it’s over. Time for summer and starting fresh.”