Rachel Berry graduates!
“Glee” creator Ryan Murphy has declared that fan favorites Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith) and Kurt (Chris Colfer) will graduate at the end of this season — meaning that they won’t be returning for a fourth season.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans, since “when they started the show [in 2009], they were very clearly sophomores, and they should graduate at the end of their senior year,” Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter.
(Michele’s response? “It’s all part of the plan, and it’s all good!” she tweeted. “It’s going to make Season 3 amazing!!!”)
By having these original cast members leave the series after such a comparatively short period, Murphy said, “Glee” will be more true to life than previous high school-set series, which have been known to drag out the standard four-year experience for an unbelievable amount of time.
The named trio of departing actors are only the tip of the iceberg, as “more characters are leaving than are staying” when commencement rolls around in May, Murphy hinted.
There will be some returning original characters next fall, though.
“There are some people who are not seniors, and there are some people that are really intellectually challenged,” Murphy told EW.com last month. “Like, you know that Brittany [Heather Morris] is pulling straight F’s.”