‘Glee’ premiere date pushed back due to tragic Cory Monteith death

Due to the recent death of the series’ star, Cory Monteith, who played Finn on the hit Fox musical dramedy, the premiere date will be pushed back one week.

Season five was scheduled to air September 19, but instead is being pushed back to September 26, according to TV Line. The decision was made by both Fox and 20th Century Fox Television to delay production until early August as opposed to July.

Monteith’s death brought great tragedy to the cast and crew of Glee. Many people involved with the show have spoken out about Cory’s positive attitude on set and his ability to work well with others. Though Lea Michele, Monteith’s girlfriend of one year, has not publically spoken out about the death, she is busy planning his memorial service and has asked for her privacy during this tragic time.

Ryan Murphy and the rest of the writers are grappling with the idea of what to do with Monteith’s character Finn, yet no conclusions have been reached. PerezHilton reports though that new episodes of Glee may feature old footage of Finn.

“There has been talk about writing the first few episodes around old footage of Cory from the show and actually have Finn be alive for a bit in order to lead into a more emotional goodbye – so it doesn’t feel sudden. The producers are weighing what the cast and his family think of the idea, and of course Lea Michele, to see if it’s at all plausible to attempt. Regardless, they want to do any angle with dignity.”

Season 5 of Glee will now premiere on Thursday, September 26 at 9pm EST.

Image: Fox