Ryan Murphy Regrets Not Ending Glee Sooner

Why Ryan Murphy Wishes He Ended Glee Earlier

Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of the hit show "Glee," shared his regret over continuing the series beyond Season 6, a decision he made alongside Fox. In a recent discussion on the "And That's What You REALLY Missed" podcast with "Glee" stars Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale, Murphy expressed that if it were up to him, the show would have ended after the tragic death of lead actor Cory Monteith in 2013. Murphy admitted that the loss of Monteith, who portrayed Finn Hudson, left an emotional void in the cast and the show itself. "Had this happened earlier, I would've said, 'Thats the end,'" Murphy revealed. "You can't truly recover from such a loss."

Cory Monteith's untimely death at age 31 occurred just before the fifth season of "Glee" was set to air. The production team decided to honor him with a tribute episode titled "The Quarterback," which aired a month later. The cast came together to pay tribute to their beloved co-star, but the process was deeply emotional for everyone involved.

Ushkowitz and McHale shared their experiences from that time, recalling the emotional difficulty of filming the tribute episode. Although no one was forced to participate, they both felt the pressure to contribute to the tribute. Despite the availability of grief counselors, the cast couldn't help but break down while filming. "We were filming a scene about a character, but in reality, we were mourning our real friend," McHale reflected. "When youre in front of a camera, you never know when youll lose control and break down."

The aftermath of Monteith's death led to a lack of enthusiasm about continuing the series. Although "Glee" had already begun to lose viewers before his passing, the idea of continuing without Finn was difficult for many fans to accept. While the early seasons of the show attracted up to 13 million viewers, by the time Season 5 aired, the viewership had dropped significantly, with some episodes struggling to even reach 3 million viewers. However, the tribute episode "The Quarterback" drew in 7.4 million viewers, showing the lasting connection fans had with the show and its cast.

Despite the decline in viewership, "Glee" was able to conclude with a satisfying finale for the remaining fans. Ryan Murphy, who has gone on to create other successful projects like "American Horror Story," "Monster," "American Crime Story," and "9-1-1," has previously hinted at the possibility of rebooting "Glee," though he remains conflicted due to his emotions surrounding Monteith's death. Still, his fond memories of the series linger, even with the bittersweet feelings attached to its continuation.

Author: Olivia Parker