”It’s all about the stories and characters, ” Ryan Murphy tells TV Line in an interview that outlines Season 3 of Glee, “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.”
Here’s what Murphy says we can expect from Glee 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.” There will be only ONE musical tribute show, but it will be a “biggie” Murphy says, “It’s one I’ve been working on for two years — it took forever to clear — with a really big artist, ” Plus, NO guest stars and fewer songs. I’ll believe that when I see it. The lure of stunt casting for ratings and iTunes revenue will prove to be too strong, I suspect.
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.” – I’m on board for that.
A Change Is Gonna Come for Sue Sylvester — “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, ” Sue will also get a romantic interest, but Murphy is unclear about whether it will be a man or a woman. I hope Murphy writes a smarter for her this year. Sue turned into a tiresome caricature by the end of Season 2.
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.” Oh c’mon. Darren Criss is coming back. And so is Chord, who is in the middle of a romantic cliffhanger with Amber Riley’s character, Mercedes. I could see them maybe dumping Ashley. I don’t think that character, or her hookup with Mark Salling was a “crowd pleaser” as they say…
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.” (They are. Check it HERE.). Murphy swears he’s had this “endgame” envisioned since he pitched the show to FOX 3 years ago. O rly? Murphy has mostly behaved like he plans nothing…
Don’t Look for the McKinley Class of 2012 to Roam the School’s Hallways Come Sept. 2012, Unless… – Murphy was shocked that his recent interview with Ryan Seacrest got such widespread pickup, because he has talked about graduating the current class in public before. “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.” Also, graduating Gleeksters will not return to McKinley High as staff members.
Then Again, Don’t Assume Some of Your Favorite New Directions Members Won’t Resurface in a Spinoff Series – Could there be, say, a spinoff series featuring Rachel, Kurt and pals heading to New York City to chase their dreams? Murphy does not shoot the idea 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.” and “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.”
So peeps…what do you think about the future of Glee? Murphy still hasn’t come out and said “The current cast will be fired after Season 3 wraps”. I think Murphy and the rest of his staff are still figuring out how to graduate the cast, but still keep the popular one around. Of course, really popular cast members like Chris Colfer and Lea Michele may decide to leave on their own to pursue other projects. Chris, in particular would probably like some extra time to nurture his budding writing and producing career…
I hope Murphy keeps his promise and gets back to basics–character development, solid story arcs, music that fits the story rather than the other way around. If he can do that, he’ll be golden.
There must have been a conference call today, because the LA Times ran an article with much of the same info, plus a few tidbits about The Glee Project. I found this interesting:
And he’s not opposed to bringing back one of the eliminated contestants for a small role on the Fox show.
“I think that maybe we will, ” Murphy said. “I’m editing an episode right now and I was like, [crap!] I should not have cut that person. I should have kept that person to the bitter end and they could have won. I never saw the other stuff. I only saw them come out and sing for me and based my decision on that. I do think in the judging I made one big mistake. Maybe I would have that person come in and audition for something because that person was just so talented. I won’t say who!”
