"Glee" fans should be sure to have a box of tissues on hand for next week's emotional episode.
On Thursday, Fox released a promo for next week's tribute episode to Finn Hudson, and the 33-second promo already makes it apparent that the episode will be incredibly heartbreaking.
The episode was especially difficult for the actors to film because it is really a tribute to Cory Monteith, the actor who portrayed the McKinley High heartthrob. Monteith passed away this July at the age of 31 due to a heroin and alcohol overdose.
Executive producer Ryan Murphy said that shooting the farewell to Monteith and his character, Finn, was "incredibly difficult."
"What you will see in the episode is what really happened," Murphy told reporters on Thursday. "Almost everything in that episode is from the first take of every performance... because the actors and the crew had a really hard time shooting it. Everyone went into it with a lot of love."
The promo aired immediately after this week's second half of the two-part Beatles tribute. The second episode of the season, called "Tina in the Sky With Diamonds," included Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) winning the prom queen crown, only to have a slushie thrown on her head afterwards in a "Carrie" inspired prank by an evil Cheerio. Despite the prank, the fellow Glee girls helped her get cleaned up, and sang a cheerful rendition of "Hey Jude." Sam (Chord Overstreet) also tried to win the affections of the new school nurse, Penny (Phoebe Strole). Meanwhile, in NYC, Rachel (Lea Michele) found out that she got the part of Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of "Funny Girl," and Santana (Naya Rivera) became romantically involved with Dani, a fellow waitress at the diner, played by Demi Lovato.
The promo for next week shows that episode three will show characters from McKinley High, both past and present, all mourning the death of Finn.
The episode will be called "The Quarterback," which is a reference to Finn's starring position on the McKinley High football team.
"There are so many incredibly well written and powerful scenes," co-star Kevin McHale recently told TVLine about the episode. "When [the cast] got the script, we were all reading it together and we were like, 'Did you get to that one scene.' And when you see it everyone will know what that one scene is.
Some recurring characters that fans have not seen in awhile will also return to take part in the heart wrenching farewell tribute. Dot Marie-Jones, who plays Coach Beiste, will be returning for the episode. Marie-Jones said earlier this year that she wasn't sure how often she will appear in the upcoming season, but she will return to say goodbye to the beloved cast member. Romy Rosemont, who plays Carole Hudson-Hummel, Finn's mother, will return for the tribute.
"Glee" airs on Thursdays on Fox at 9 p.m.
Watch the promo for "The Quarterback" below.