They definitely come back in the first five episodes. So they’re around. I don’t know the plan after that. But [around] Christmas and Thanksgiving, everyone goes home and reunites…Nobody is going anywhere. Everybody’s back here and there throughout the season.”

And Lea Michele says she’s confident the long-term plan includes every beloved character. “They’re always going to be on the show. It’s always going to be the kids that have left and the kids that are still there.