Cory Monteith's death came as a genuine shock to everyone when it was announced earlier this week and amidst the fallout from his death, network executives at Fox have decided to hold back on airing the fifth season of the hit musical show. The series was due to return to Fox on Thursday September 18, but now Glee fans will have to wait another week, with Fox releasing a statement on Friday (July 19) that the show will return on Thursday Sept. 26 instead.

Cory Monteith
Monteith's death came completely out of the blue

As a result of the temporary hiatus, production on the next season of the show isn't due to begin until earlier August at the earliest, with production on season six originally planned to begin this month. Currently, it isn't known how the show's writing team will handle Monteith's death within the program and a slew of new scenes may have to be written to accomodate the sad turn of events. It is believed that most of the new season has already been filmed, including Monteith's parts, so the cast may have to go back on set to re-film parts of the show.

Lea Michelle Cory Monteith
Monteith was due to wed his Glee co-star Lea Michelle

The powers behind the show have so far remained tight-lipped on any developments the show might make in season five, and currently we only know that two new characters will be introduced; a twentysomething girl named Jenny and a new African American student at McKinley High. Cory's Finn Hudson had graduated from McKinley High by the end of season three, so this may make his exit from the show a little easier to work around.

Monteith's tragic passing at the age of 31 a week ago today (Saturday 13 July) was met with shock and heartbreak for many, with his Glee castmates each giving heartfelt memorials to the actor in the wake of his death. An autopsy report revealed that he died from a overdose after ingesting a dangerous amount of alcohol and heroin.

Cory Monteith GLAAD
RIP Cory