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Fox’s global phenomenon Glee will wrap its six-season run Friday with a two-hour series finale that flashes back to the origins of New Directions and then cuts to the future to find out what happens to the beloved members of the show’s original glee club.
But while viewers may be parting ways with their favorite on-screen gleeks, many of the stars of Fox’s groundbreaking musical dramedy have already lined up their next projects. Here’s what the stars will be up to next.
See more Saying Goodbye: TV Shows Signing Off in 2014-15
Lea Michele
Glee‘s always-aspiring diva Rachel Berry will remain in the Fox family and Ryan Murphy fold with a co-starring role on the network’s upcoming horror comedy anthology series Scream Queens. “You will not recognize me, or Rachel or anybody in [the show’s central town] Hester; it is a whollllllle different story there,” Michele told THR, noting that the role would not be musical. “We’re giving my voice a break, no singing on TV anymore,” she said with a laugh. Beyond Scream Queens, Michele is hard at work on her second album, which she says will feature more of her “standard background,” as well as a potential tour and second book.
Chris Colfer
The accomplished singer, author and producer behind Kurt has used Glee as a springboard for other media. The 24-year-old has already written, starred in, produced and novelized his first film, Struck by Lightning, and also become a New York Times best-selling author of The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. He signed a new five-book deal in November, with the fourth and fifth books in the series due in July 2015 and July 2016. In addition, Colfer will write two picture books based on The Land of Stories and two companion books for inclusion in a holiday box set due this year. Beyond those projects, he’s writing a novel for teens that tells the story of a young actor taking a cross-country road trip with his fans. On the feature side, Colfer is in preproduction on the untitled Noel Coward biopic, in which he’ll play the famed playwright in a cast that includes Ian McKellen and Vanessa Redgrave.
Darren Criss
The actor behind Warbler Blaine is returning to Broadway to take on the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch after a successful run in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which he juggled during production on Glee.
Read more ‘Glee’ Stars on Its “Groundbreaking” Legacy: The Show “Will Live on for Generations”
Jane Lynch
Lynch, the unforgettable Sue Sylvester, will next star in CBS pilot Angel From Hell, playing the titular guardian angel in the comedy from Samantha Who‘s Tad Quill. Beyond that, the popular host will also return for another season at the center of NBC’s celebrity competition entry Hollywood Game Night.
Matthew Morrison
Like Criss, Morrison — who led New Directions as Will Schuester — will return to Broadway with the lead role in Finding Neverland following a five-year hiatus from the Great White Way.
Amber Riley
“I am rebuilding Amber. I’m taking voice lessons, I’m learning piano, and I’m trying to find my niche with the music industry,” Riley tells THR of her future after bringing Glee’s Mercedes Jones to life. “I’m doing my album, and hopefully people will hear it this summer.
Jenna Ushkowitz
From a stuttering Tina to executive producer, Ushkowitz most recently stepped behind the camera on feature Twinsters, which premiered this week at SXSW.
Kevin McHale (Artie)
The talented singer-actor behind Artie is in London filming the second season of his U.K. series Virtually Famous ahead of its April premier, a panel show spotlighting the world of YouTube and Vine stars. Elsewhere, he next appears opposite Dustin Hoffman and Kathy Bates as a young music teacher in the music-themed indie drama Boychoir, likely due this summer.
Chord Overstreet
“I’m ready to finish up the music stuff and hit it full speed,” country boy Overstreet (Sam) tells THR. “I have a couple comedy things I’m working on developing. I’m excited to put it out in the universe and see what comes back. I’m ready to get to work on some passion stuff.”
Naya Rivera
The snarky half of Brittana, Rivera is pregnant with her first child with new husband Ryan Dorsey after getting hitched in July. She’ll follow Glee up with a four-episode arc on Lifetime’s Devious Maids, playing a new maid named Blanca, after a multiple-episode co-hosting gig on The View.
Heather Morris
The lovable dingbat behind Brittany has been filming indie road comedy Folk Hero & Funny Guy and has indie horror Most Likely to Die due in October. On the TV side, Morris has appearances on IFC’s Comedy Bang Bang and The CW’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Dot-Marie Jones
Following a groundbreaking story line that saw the three-time Emmy nominee’s football coach Shannon transition to Sheldon in Glee’s final season, Jones is hoping to return to comedy. “I need a job!” she told THR with a hearty laugh at PaleyFest. “I want to do a sitcom; five days a week and not that many hours. It’s still a lot of work but I love doing sitcoms with a live audience. Episodics are great too, I’d take that!”
Mark Salling
The actor behind lovable bad-boy Puck has been busy prepping his own series for the past two years and is busy pitching the pilot. “It’s a musical with original music so we had to record a whole 13-song record for that and write the episodes around the songs,” he told THR.
Click here to find out what the Glee stars had to say about the show’s legacy, and stay tuned to The Live Feed for more coverage from the series finale.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
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