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Ryan Murphy interview (Patreon)

Published:
2022-11-14 09:43:12
Imported:
2026-06

Content

I just listened the interview he did about the Quarterback episode and how he felt he should have ended Glee right then and there since Cory died. Do you agree?

Comments

Daniel

Absolutely not. While I know the whole cast and crew were heartbroken by Cory’s passing I feel like Cory would have wanted Glee to continue. I don’t think Cory would have wanted the legacy of Glee to have been it ended because of his passing.

Samir

I also listened to that podcast and I disagree with Ryan. The episode was very hard to watch and you kinda bawl through the whole thing but it was needed to give fans some closure. To just abruptly cancel the show would’ve been very sad and unfair to the fans that were invested in that show. I also listened to Naya’s audiobook and she talked about how filming that episode was one of the hardest things she ever had to do and since Lea was in no shape to take the lead, Ryan felt like Naya was the one to step in and take the lead. She really did carry that whole episode. She said the episode was created from a place that meant well and it was a way to grieve Finn on screen but most of them didn’t get the chance to grieve off screen. I think maybes they should’ve taken more time to come to terms with it before they shot that episode but I am glad that they carried on with the show.

Emma

as much as i agree that it was never the same without him as the story was so much based around Finn and his future, it definitely healed my heart to carry on watching after he passed, i think i wouldve been even more lost without it! i cant imagine how hard it wouldve been on the cast though 😢

Amber Harrison

No. I don’t think he should have ended it. I also listened to the podcast and agree with Ryan that he should have taken a more thoughtful pause. The writing for Season 4 was already suffering in my opinion and then after Cory’s passing it really did seem that the writers were lost in how to address the loss and close the show. All very understandable with their hearts being broken. But a pause to reset and heal a little bit may have been beneficial. RIP Cory, and Goddess Naya, and Mark.

adautres

I agree they should have taken a break. And maybe, take time before writing some episodes to bring closure to the show. I don't think they should have make so many episodes after that, I think that was a mistake ... But that's what I think, I don't know anything, I am just some women watching this from my couch. Glee was "just" a show, with humans making it. It was healing for many people so it felt like more. But. They owe nothing to their fans, so if they thought they needed to end it, they should have ended it.

Susan Morris

Either the story arc should have changed or it ended. The story originally revolves around Rachel primarily and it grew to include other people but focus was still on Rachel and now Finn too. Ryan Murphy never saw Naya Rivera coming though. Santana was never supposed to be more than a background character but she was such a talented force that Santana rose to be a true star. The fans noticed her and no one could deny that Santana one of the most important characters to EVER be on tv. Santana easily could have had an amazing spin off….such an opportunity wasted!

Elizabeth

I don’t know about ending it necessarily but I agree that they should’ve taken a much longer break and allow themselves to heal more and really figure out what to do with the show.

Veronica_R_T

I have mixed feelings about this. The tone and what Glee originally started as definitely changed so in that respect a part of me thinks it should have ended then. But I also think about the many people who worked on the crew who needed their jobs and depended on the show for their livelihood so I'm glad it went on for them. People tend to forget about the crews that do all the hard work to keep a show going and they get paid a small fraction of the money of the actors, writers, producers and directors of the show. But I also realize how hard it was for the cast at that time especially for Lea. It was just a heartbreaking time for everyone involved.

Gemma Rivera

I don't agree that they should have ended it. Glee was an ensemble show and to end it because he died would almost be like saying that the work that everyone else put in didn't matter as much or have as much impact as it did. I feel like Ryan carries a lot of guilt about how things were handled behind the scenes with the show and the environment that he created because he was so closely involved with the show in the beginning and then he basically abandoned them to work on other projects. He said in the same podcast that he would have handled things much differently if the show were still going on today. They worked that cast to the brink of exhaustion. 10 months of the year, they filmed the show and then the other 2 months they sent them on tour. In that podcast, Jenna said that they wrote her out of the Michael Jackson episode because she was exhausted and she refers to that as her mental health break. I'm glad they continued with the show because Cory would have wanted it that way. Kudos to the cast for continuing on and giving us so many memorable performances after that with special mention to Naya, who was especially close to Cory, for being the consummate professional that she is and carrying the emotional load for his tribute episode.

Jay Johnston

One of my brothers, one of my sisters and I were actually talking about this the other day Maybe not right after but I think maybe shortening the 5th season and ending it after that. Don't get me wrong there were parts of season 6 that I loved but you could definitely tell after his death that the creators were burnt out as well as some of the original cast. You can hear it in the way Kevin and Jenna talk about it and how they say Kevin was the last to "break" I may get hate for this opinion, just know that I love Glee, it helped me get through some really shitty times in my life. My love for it and the love other fans have for it shouldn't come first though. If Ryan is saying that after Cory passed that he hadn't actually been in a good place to have kept the show going as long as he did then I think he should have found a way to end it earlier then he did. Hindsight is 20/20 though in this case and now he finds himself in a position a lot of us do of looking back and wondering how he could of done things differently

Shannon Hartman

No, not because of his passing… honestly, I think it should have ended after 3 when most everyone went to college. Still has some amazing moments, but the whole theme of the show is High School Glee Club. Not following Glee Club members to college. The show should never end because someone passed though. I do wish someone would have done something to eliminate one travesty in the 6th season, that has made me never watch that season ever again. Honestly, not sure if I’ve seen the second half of season 6, now that I think about it… 🧐

Selma Jabr

Not really because I actually enjoy the last 2 seasons. S5 is in my top 2 seasons for me.(I know, unpopular) Also is was nice to have the cast back together after what happened. Plus a ton of amazing songs we won’t have gotten otherwise. But if I were in their shoes, I would probably agree with them. It’s easier for me to watch without Finn because I started show after Cory had already passed and I knew that. But has always, I really understood where they are coming from.

Siobhan Linehan

No I don't think they should've ended it and I'm glad they didn't. Watching the characters go through their grief really helped me with my own. And a lot of people say the same. When the episode The Quarterback aired I cried SO much. The only TV episodes that have made me really bawl are that episode and the episode Doomsday from Doctor Who. But for very different reasons and I actually haven't been able to watch The Quarterback since the day it aired. I'll probably skip it during the watch parties too tbh. It's such a heartbreaking and difficult episode because the character's grief is also the actor's grief and the pain is so clear. It's awful to see. 😭 But after that episode their grief is handled in a great way. We see how it shapes the characters as people and how it affects their next relationships. Especially with Rachel. Plus some of my favourite episodes happen after Cory's passing. Including my favourite episode ever called Moving Out from season 5. So no, I don't think they should've ended it after Cory died and I'm glad that they didn't. 💕

Jonathan

I think they should have taken a break. It was clear they were making the show through pain they hadn’t processed and with as erratic as that season is I think if people had had a break and able to plan clearly it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did and it would have been a better show not that the actors didn’t try and give it their best with what they were given on the page.

Pendre

I listened to the interview, as well, and I wish he had gone with his initial instinct, which was to pause. I think everyone needed a break to deal with their grief, because I feel things deteriorated on the set after Cory passed away. Ryan said he had a grief counselor on the set, but no one went to her. I particularly wish they had taken a break for Lea's sake. Working may be one form of therapy for some, but when your work has been with your partner who has died, it isn't always the healthiest thing to stick around that space, if you have a choice. Ryan did ask Lea if she wanted to go on and she opted to, but I have always wondered if that was because she didn't want to see people out of a job or if she really felt it was better for her to throw herself into her work to try to heal. She also had an album about to be released, which was additional pressure on her. An album in which she said Cory had significant input. Watching her interviews promoting the album, you could tell her pain was quite deep and she looked really tired. Between Glee and pressures from the record label for the album release, even if she hadn't suffered such a tragic loss, that's a lot for anyone. Considering the things that happened in her personal life (i.e. the almost immediate ill-advised relationship with one of Cory's acquaintances, an out-of-work actor who appeared to be taking advantage of her grief) and implied behaviors on set (and she wasn't the only one, we have been told, but the negative focus always seems to be on her), I have always wondered if it wouldn't have been better to at least take a break from Glee and allow her to get the therapy she obviously needed. On a personal note, I haven't watched The Quarterback since it aired and probably never will again. Everyone's pain is so palpable in that episode and, having been in the fandom at that time, we were all hurting a great deal. I'd rather not revisit it.

LisaMarie_82

I agree with parts of everyone's comments. Love or hate her I think the absolute heartbreak and pain Leah must have gone through to lose the man she was so in love with, and then have to rehearse and relive losing him again and again on the screen must have been unbearable. There is 1 scene in that episode that will straight up induce UGLY cry with her and Matt Morison. I've seen the ep 2 or 3 times and it still starts the full on hysterical snot nose cry.

Linda

I loved that Ryan was the 1st guess and hear from him his decision making with the quarterback episode. I think as well that they needed a break to grieve and then come back with a better mind set to continue . but yes the glee cast was falling apart after corys death.

LisaMarie_82

Selfishly I am glad the ep aired. Mind up I did not watch the series until it had already ended so I wasn't dealing with Cory's death... However my son was 12/13 at the time when we watched it start to finish. As I've said many times Glee 100% helped me parent and started so many conversations with my boy that were darker but needed to be done on his level. He didn't know Cory had died in real life so when Finn died on the show he was upset to the point he will never be able to hear "If I die Young" again. Anyway, he asked me why they killed Finn and I had to explain he had died in real life and how.. Picture sitting there and watching the realization and emotions flood a 13 year old boys eyes only to then outright ask for the 1st time, "Is that the same reason I can't be alone with my dad and he doesn't see me". Let me tell yall.... Up until that point my baby had only ever been told that his dad had not been making good choices and that mommy decided until he made better ones he could only see him with mommy. Glee and that episode basically confirmed for my boy that his dad wasn't around because of drugs and his grandpa on his dad's side had drank himself to death a few weeks before. It was very very painful and difficult for us both, but simply put I think the dangers of substances/addiction got through to him far better than a 20 min presentation from the DARE officer at school ever could have.

JustAlyssa87

This is quite a conundrum. At the time, I would have been devastated had they ended the show when he died. It was a happy escape for me at the time, especially, and coincidentally, as my uncle also happened to have passed away that same year in March of a heroin overdose; I was watching it quite a lot that summer to escape my grief. When I found out Cory died, I felt like I lost another family member and I guess I trauma bonded myself to the show because whenever I feel anxious I watch it. I bawled throughout the entirety of The Quarterback when it aired, but I have watched it since. In fact I watched it the other day with my husband and we BOTH cried. Thinking about it now as an older, more mature adult, they should have either ended it or taken a long break. What they needed was therapy, not more Glee, especially Lea. When I hear they continued on because she said they should, I remember my own state of mind after my uncle died. Why would you allow a grieving 26 year old to decide that? I also wonder if she felt pressure from the studio, saying things like “well if we quit now, so many people will lose their jobs.” That’s a lot of guilt to take on and it makes me sick now to see how thin she got because she wasn’t eating and how she sobbed her way through her song. The whole cast was an overworked mess and the writing took a huge nosedive. I’m glad I have more Glee to watch, but not at the expense of the casts sanity. It either should have ended or they should have had a longer break.

Shannon Hartman

Commenting again, as I never actually commented on THAT episode. Regardless of if the show ended there or not, I am so grateful they aired that episode. How many shows can you remember having someone die and have it hit like this one? I can't think of any right off hand. And for the demographic of that show, while heavy, it showed them what grief looked like, in all its tears, happy stories, not thinking you have a right to be happy, and even in its blood curdling screams that I will never get out of my soul. How many people are lucky enough to make it well into adulthood, and never lose someone so close to them?? It's not something you can understand until you've been through it, but this is the closest I think I have ever seen, to at the very least, shrivel me to a sniveling mess of a sob. Other than the one time, I have only watched songs a handful of times, and the full ep reactions of two other channels. Last time I said never again. I may change my mind come the time on here, but it is just that powerful. It's something you need to prepare yourself for. Like now, Audrey. I know we're still in season three, and that's not till five, but start mentally preparing... Worst that can happen is you overblow it in your head, and wonder what we were all going on about. Don't think that is possible, but still prepare.

Annie Willow

I do think they should have taken a longer break, pause and regroup. But completely stopping, no. This show and it’s cast was and still is so incredibly important to so many people, and I feel that if they had just stopped without allowing for any closure would not have been fair to the cast and crew as well as the fans. I do feel that The Quarterback episode was necessary but I can’t ever watch it again, not only because of Cory but because of Naya. It’s hard enough with little scenes here and there that make me tear up about them, but “If I Die Young”, absolutely not. I have a hard time even just seeing pictures and YouTube thumbnails pop up with her in that scene because the words of the song pop into my head and I remember all over again.

m

While his death was sad, I definitely do not think they should’ve stopped the show. There was so much great stories and episodes after the tribute episode that I would’ve been so sad if we have not gotten as seen them, we got to see what the rest of their lives were after his death, and how they prospered from that, sometimes life isn’t 100% happiness and the show shows that while trying to bring joy to the viewers.

Jennifer Dominguez

I also heard the interview and will be listening to the podcast in general and idk what to think honestly. Speaking only on that, it's an episode that I only watch when I want to cry. It def hits hard. Especially after Naya as well. At the time it Did feel exploitative and still does a bit but it also was So needed. This was a celebrity death felt very deeply due to his age and affable persona. I remember being on tumblr while Glee was on air, and as I'm sure you've figured out, this is an unwavering fandom. When the second tour was happening, every single show was livestreamed from different ppl's phones and we were all watching nd when he passed other fandoms were also having conversations about death and community, etc. So it is something that while admittedly mishandled, i think is ultimately respected because it was so in the moment and will likely never happen in that manner again. Like everything else in this show, it runs the gamut from good to bad feeling depending n the moment but ultimately it stands out as an episode among tv shows period. They didn't replace their lead, they tackled the grief head on. Do i think they should've continued the show? Like others, i'll say yes after a pause. It got a little long in the tooth after a while but i think of the cast and crew and their jobs and the impact of the show at the time and i can see it both ways but i think a pause and reassessment would've been the best course of action.

Kathy Blois

I think they should have ended it with the season Cory passed on. I didn’t watch much after that but I think that might also have been due to having seen his band perform twice here in Vancouver.

Lai

yes and no. im not a fan of them leaning so heavly on lea and cory. but theres defently a periode of lost direction after. but some good episode and story comes later. its deficult question.

Kenyatta (KD) Smith

I think they handled it well, and I don't think Cory would have wanted them to quit.

Felicity Drinkwater

No, I think we needed to see Lea development after Cory’s death.

Mia

I have mixed feelings about it myself. I haven’t watched the entire episode since it came out. But I did watch s6. I skipped around 5 because it felt like a disconnected, jumbled mess. S6 felt more like glee, and there was actual direction. The Quarterback is a wonderful tribute, but I think they should’ve waited longer. Lea didn’t even show up until the end because she couldn’t be there.

Ayan

I think that it goes both ways. I think that for the fans it was good that they kept glee going. But as a lot of the cast members talk about it wasn’t the same for them after he died and they had a lot of trouble dealing with going back after his death especially because like they talked about there wasn’t any talk of mental health and things of that nature. So selfishly I’m glad they kept going but looking back and knowing what we know now I think they should have ended it and made the Quarterback episode the goodbye/final episode when everyone was ready

Georgia Beauchemin

I disagree with Ryan Murphy because it showed the reality of losing someone. You can have the moments and then you have to figure out how to go on. I love that episode and if they had ended it at that point, it would have been horrible for everyone from fans to actors. The actors would’ve had a dark spot over the whole of Glee.

Jennifer Adame

Not really. They had so many open ended stories at the time. I think Season 5 was a mess but tu et ended it well and really should have just stopped there. But they had a contract to do 6 seasons, but you could tell after Cory passed that Ryan had no real interest n the show anymore. Really even before that things were sliding off the rails.