‘Glee’ Ending Next Season, Series Finale To ‘Honor’ Cory Monteith

Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy confirmed that the Fox series will be ending after next season.

Murphy said at a Paley Center event honoring FX Networks Wednesday night the sixth season of Glee will be its last. He also said Cory Monteith’s death forced him to rework the finale.

“The final year of the show, which will be next year, was designed around Rachel and Cory/Finn’s story,” Murphy told reporters at the event, according to TV Line. “I always knew that, I always knew how it would end. I knew what the last shot was – he was in it. I knew what the last line was – she said it to him. So when a tragedy like that happens you sort of have to pause and figure out what you want to do, so we’re figuring that out now.”

Murphy added, “I have a good idea. I’m going to tell the studio and the network [in a week] how after Cory’s unfortunate passing we can end the show that I think is very satisfactory. And kind of in his honor, which I love.”

Glee was renewed for a fifth and sixth season on April 19 as part of a two-season renewal deal. Fox chairman Kevin Reilly said in August that he “would not anticipate it goes beyond two more seasons.”

The Cory Monteith/Finn Hudson memorial episode “The Quarterback” aired October 10 and drew 7.4 million viewers with a 2.9 rating among adults 18-49, marking Glee‘s highest rating since September 20, 2012 (“Britney 2.0”). The episode as written by all three of the show’s creators, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck, and Ian Brennan.

In July, Ryan Murphy said he had plans to continue to honor Cory Monteith beyond the memorial episode.

“[We’re going to] continue to take care of the cast and crew and work on setting things up in Cory’s honor – scholarships, what have you – because that’s something we’re dedicated to doing,”
he said.