Darren Criss, Chord Overstreet & Harry Shum Jr. – Who’s In and Who’s Out Next Season on GLEE

GLEE creator Ryan Murphy caused quite a stir in the Gleekdom recently when he confirmed to Ryan Seacrest that some of the McKinley High kids will indeed be graduating next year and moving on.  Since then speculation has run rampant as to just who will be sticking around and who will be leaving.  The season finale made it clear that New Directions co-captains Rachel and Finn are in fact seniors, but could the show survive without the talent powerhouse that is Lea Michele?  Would Ryan Murphy and Fox allow it?

And what about other GLEE breakout stars such as Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale and Heather Morris?  When asked about the graduation rumors, Golden Globe Winner Chris Colfer told the L.A. Times “I don’t know what I can say on camera with a straight face and what I can’t!…I would just tell the fans: Don’t be worried. That’s all I’m gonna say because a lot of fans are worried that the characters are going to graduate and leave the show, but that’s not necessarily the case. Don’t fret.”

So where does that leave us and more importantly where does that leave our favorite Gleeks?  Perhaps only Ryan Murphy and his inner circle know for sure (then again, this is GLEE and there is a really good chance they’ll wait until the very last minute and just make something up.)

No doubt the speculation as to the fate of the cast will continue throughout the summer and the course of next season. However, it seems some of those casting decisions are being made now, and the news will have some gleeks singing for joy and others a little down in the (Trouty) mouth.

According to TVLine.com, GLEE has upgraded Darren Criss (who plays Kurt’s boyfriend, Blaine Anderson) and Harry Shum Jr. (the delightful dancer, Mike Chang) to full time series regulars next season. But the news is not so good for Chord Overstreet (Sam Evans) as it seems his option was not picked up. TVLine sources say that the actor “could return as an occasional guest star.”

No official word on this casting news has been confirmed by Fox or Ryan Murphy, but Overstreet posted a rather cryptic and perhaps telling tweet earlier today:

 

 

Just a few minutes ago, Overstreet and director Jon Chu exchanged tweets in which Chord didn’t refute this unfortunate casting news.

 

 

Those who know me know that I couldn’t be more ecstatic about the news that Darren Criss will be returning to GLEE as a full time cast member next season. Given his meteoric rise in popularity since joining the show, I really didn’t have any fears. (Ok, I did have some fears and those fears may or may not have kept me in a constant state of panic since the series finale…but oh how I’m going to sleep well tonight.) Darren Criss and Chris Colfer’s romance as Blaine and Kurt became a strong draw for many GLEE fans last season.  As for whether or not Blaine will remain with The Warblers at Dalton Academy or spend his days singing at McKinley High, that we don’t yet know.  At the GLEE panel at the Paley Festival in March, Ryan Murphy did allude to the notion that he would have to find a way for Blaine to audition for New Directions, but for now Blaine’s scholastic whereabouts are still up in the air.

While I’m thrilled that Harry Shum Jr. will be back on the show next season, I only hope that the newly expanded GLEE writing staff will find an interesting way to integrate him into the series and not just cut to him when showcasing his (insane) dance skills. Talking with EW about expanding character storylines in Season 3, Murphy said “I wanna know more about Tina and Mike.” That could only be a good thing for Shum…and us.

As for Overstreet’s Sam Evans, who knows if he’ll be transferring out of McKinley or not. There’s is a small (ok, really small) chance that Chord’s not going anywhere.  Think about it…Harry Shum Jr. has been in almost every episode since the show premiered and he wasn’t a series regular until now.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see. But if he’s gone, I’ll miss Trouty Mouth, his (not from a bottle) blonde hair and those silly impressions.

Of course you can be sure that there will be more than a few new faces popping up on GLEE next season.  The winner of THE GLEE PROJECT will be joining the show for at least a seven episode arc (please let it be Cameron…fingers crossed, although I don’t think it’s him). Also, Ryan Murphy has alluded to new characters that might appear in the fall and then make their way back when the show returns from its annual winter hiatus. Let’s just hope the fresh new talent in the GLEE writing room translates into better character development for the already super-sized cast.

So fellow gleeks, what do you make of this news?  Are you as ecstatic as I am that Darren Criss will be back?  What about Harry Shum, Jr? Bummed out about Chord? Thoughts on some of the cast possibly leaving the show after next season?

(And if any of you are secretly hoping that this happens…just know that I’m with you!)