'Glee' Final Season Reduced to 13 Episodes

Glee is heading into its sixth and final season in 2015, and it's just as well, since FOX seems keen to get this thing over with already. At least, that's the impression given by the decision to reduce the episode order for the final season to just 13 episodes, a seven-episode decrease from the 20 episodes aired in Season 5, and eleven episodes less than the initial 24 that was ordered under former FOX chairman Kevin Reilly over a year ago.

The episodes are scheduled to air consecutively in midseason, which means that Glee will have an uninterrupted final season. Of course, this might not be a bad thing, as a reduced episode order could streamline the narrative in a way that benefits the show creatively. After all, Glee is facing a major overhaul for Season 6, such as the move to a new location, and Naya Rivera's decision to return only as a recurring guest star instead of as a series regular. However, showrunner/creator Ryan Murphy is optimistic about all the new changes. “It really is a lovely, fitting season that dwells on the original people on the show and what happens to them and how they give back,” Murphy said back in April, although it's unknown how the reduced episode order will affect the storylines he plans on telling. “We’ll revisit some of the new kids that came and went, there’s a return of [Jane Lynch's Sue Sylvester] and [Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester] in a big way.”

So it's looking like the final 13 episodes will serve to put a nice little bow on the entire Glee experience as opposed to being a drawn-out goodbye. Basically, trimming Glee down could prove to be a positive, especially if it leads to more focused storytelling.

Via: Deadline

Credit: FOX