Though 'Glee' season 5 hasn't proven as opaque as its predecessor, last week brought the news that longtime series stars Heather Morris, Mark Salling, Amber Riley and Harry Shum, Jr. would step down from the FOX musical dramedy as series regulars, tidying up the cast. Now, to further cordon off loose ends, five freshman members of the cast have been upgraded to series regulars in their place.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Melissa Benoist (Marley), Jacob Artist (Jake), Becca Tobin (Kitty) and 'The Glee Project' alumni Blake Jenner and Alex Newell will all step up to the mic as series regulars next year, the majority of which were introduced in season 4.

Having taken something of a commercial and critical dip this past year, 'Glee' returns for its fifth season on Thursday, Sep. 19 on FOX. The show has been renewed for an eventual sixth season as well, while the future of 'The Glee Project' remains in contention at Oxygen, following FOX's lengthy decision to decide the fate of the series proper.

In addition to the scaled-back roles of Morris, Salling, Riley and Shum, Jr., Dianna Agron is expected to make limited appearances, while Jayma Mays (Emma) has taken a regular role on CBS' Will Arnett-centric comedy, 'The Millers.'

'Glee' certainly has major shakeups on the horizon for season 5, but what say you? Has the musical series grown too big or changed too much for longtime fans? What would you want to see happen in the fifth and sixth seasons?

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