Will Naya Rivera bear the brunt of the shortened final season of "Glee"? It appears so, apart from the fact that the actress, who had her big break in the choir drama, is no longer a full-time regular in the FOX series, E! Online said.
The entertainment news site added that "the reduced status came at Rivera's request, and the producers and network obliged in order to keep her happy."
It is common knowledge that there have been rumors on the set about Rivera fighting with show star, Lea Michele. A Hollywood Life source noted that Rivera did not want to return to the show in its final season, but creator Ryan Murphy did not agree.
"Ryan Murphy wanted the Glee story to finish a certain way and Naya's character was and is a part of his plan. He knew that things were very strained between Lea and Naya but he was convinced that the time away from the set and each other would ease the tensions between the two a little bit. And that looks like what exactly happened, most of the tensions are at bay but not fully gone. Ryan didn't want the drama to overshadow the final year of the show and they agreed. Ryan played the ‘Do it for the cast' and ‘Do it for Cory [Monteith]‘ card and that is what worked and got Naya back in the fold. As for Lea and Naya sharing screen time, for the most part, they will not share many scenes together but it will be impossible to totally go cold turkey. They will work together again and they both promised they would be professional when that time comes," the source added.
Meanwhile, Fox Networks Group Chairman-CEO, Peter Rice, offered an explanation on why the network decided to reduce the show's original 22-episode final season down to just 13 episodes. He said, "I think Glee is one of the great shows in television history, and it was so hot and so big. I remember being in this room, and while a lot of people assumed it was going to fail, you guys supported it. And it touched so many hearts and brought social issues to the forefront, and it burned so hot and so fast. But it's been on for over 100 episodes now in six seasons, and we want to go out in a way that celebrates it. And we thought that finding 13 episodes and compacting it and doing it in a straight run was a better way to finish the show."
If there's one thing that Santana fans would be relieved to know is that the show has not axed nor shortchanged one of their favorite villain/lead players in the show.
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