Glee Creator Ryan Murphy Confirms Cast Will Leave Show After Next Season

Glee creator Ryan Murphy confirmed Friday that the current cast of high schoolers on Glee will graduate, from McKinley High and from the show, in May 2012.

Murphy told Ryan Seacrest on Friday that the characters who were juniors last season -- including Rachel (Lea Michele), Finn (Cory Monteith), Quinn (Dianna Agron) and Puck (Mark Salling) -- will graduate in May 2012 and leave the show at the end of its third season. Said Murphy:

"... we didn't want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years. We really wanted it to be true to that experience."

Murphy said Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch will remain on the show, as their characters Will Schuester and Sue Sylvester are the cornerstones of the series. Murphy says casting calls have already gone out for new glee clubbers, including an "Adele-meets-Susan-Boyle" type.

"I think that just like with the original cast, I think finding those young unknown people and giving them an opportunity to break into the business and become stars is a really fun and exciting thing ..."

Season three of the show premieres in September on Fox.