Ryan Murphy admits Glee should have ended after Cory Monteith’s death

8 November 2022, 19:36

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By Katie Louise Smith

"If I had to do it again, we would’ve stopped for a very long time and probably not come back."

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Ryan Murphy has opened up about the decision to keep Glee going after Cory Monteith's tragic death. Glee alums Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale have also shared what it was like to film the show's emotional tribute episode to Cory and his character Finn Hudson.

Cory sadly passed away in 2013 after an overdose. His tragic death was written into the show, with Finn also passing away. (No cause of death was ever given for Finn.)

Cory's final appearance as Finn was in the 2013 episode 'Sweet Dreams', and the season 4 episode, 'The Quarterback', paid tribute to both the actor and the character.

However, Ryan has now reflected on Cory's devastating death, and says that the show probably should have ended after he died.

Ryan Murphy says Glee should've ended after Cory Monteith's death. Picture: FOX Image Collection

Glee continued to run for two more years after Cory's death, and it's something that Ryan says was a decision that he wouldn't make today.

Speaking to Jenna and Kevin – hosts of the And That’s What You Really Missed podcast – Ryan said they had a "big corporate" conversation about whether they should cancel the show or carry on.

He added: "If I had to do it again, we would’ve stopped for a very long time and probably not come back."

"I would be like, 'that’s the end.' Because you can’t really recover from something like that. It wasn’t, like, a normal death where someone is sick, and you can see them. It happened so quickly with no warning," he said.

Glee's The Quarterback paid tribute to both Cory Monteith and Finn Hudson. Picture: FOX

Speaking about the tribute episode for Cory, Ryan said that it was an episode that he was "able to watch once," and one he has "never looked at it again."

"I would not have done that [episode] now. I just would not have done it. I felt like it was way too raw, and way too soon," Murphy said of 'The Quarterback'.

Jenna and Kevin also opened up about their experience filming that episode after the loss of their friend and co-star. Kevin said that members of the cast were asked if they wanted to appear in the episode or not, and they both said they felt a little pressured to say yes, fearing that they might be the only one who says no.

"It just felt like an impossible corner we were all put in," Jenna explained. "There’s no right or wrong." Kevin also added that he found it difficult to film, and had to excuse himself from set a couple of times when it got too much for him.

"We’re in a scene talking about a character. Obviously we’re talking about our real friend," he said. "Then there’s a camera on you. When those things happen, you don’t know when you’re going to lose it and not lose it and break down."