Naya Rivera Will Return for 'Glee' Season 6, But...

So it's been confirmed that rumors of her departure have been greatly exaggerated, as Naya Rivera will definitely be returning for Season 6 of Glee. But there's a catch: Rivera will not be returning as a series regular.

Rivera, who plays Santana Lopez on the series, has asked to be billed as a recurring guest star and not as a series regular, a request which was honored by the producers. However, I'm not entirely sure why Rivera would pass up on the pay increase afforded to series regulars, unless she really does just want to be done with the show already. Glee has always been a show plagued by rumors of cast members leaving, to such an extent that it wasn't so hard to believe that Chris Colfer was really let go from the show after his Twitter account was hacked to spread that false news item. This final season already has the feeling of just wrapping things up, so it wouldn't surprise me to learn that some members of the cast were ready to move on.

Although FOX has yet to announce a premiere date for the final season of Glee, it's expected that the season will be abbreviated significantly. But maybe that's not a bad thing. Perhaps a shortened season will do wonders for the show's storytelling. If nothing else, it worked for True Blood last season (although it's doing this season no favors beyond just ending the mess quicker). In short, it should be interesting to see how this final season comes together.

Via: TVLine

Credit: FOX