Glee will give up a little music in its second season to explore the characters more, executive producer Ryan Murphy told a Comic-Con audience filled with its trademark fans, Gleeks.
Instead of eight musical numbers, the Fox show will do five to give more time for the characters, executive producer Ryan Murphy said. He said much of the greater character focus is a response to fan clamor.
"It's designed to be a little more intimate," Murphy said. "The characters popped so much. We want to see a whole episode about Brittany (Heather Morris), more about Artie (Kevin McHale) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz).
More episodes will follow characters in their personal lives, such as an episode where Mercedes (Amber Riley) goes to church and one where Tina falls out of love with Artie.
Morris, McHale, Ushkowitz and Riley joined Murphy on the panel, along with Naya Rivera, who plays Santana; Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt; and executive producer Dante Di Loreto.
Other tidbits gleaned from the Glee session include:
-- There will be another Madonna episode "at some point," Murphy said. The Madonna Vogue number was the most fun he has had on the show, along with the pilot.
-- A Britney Spears episode is planned. In it, Mr. Schuester (Morrison) is reluctant to perform the singer's work. "We're doing it in a really fun, hallucinogenic way," Murphy said.
-- There will be more tribute episodes, including one in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot, although Murphy didn't name names
-- A Rocky Horror episode is in the works. Colfer wants to perform The Time Warp.
-- Kurt, a gay teen, will get a boyfriend. "We really want Kurt to ultimately go to a place where he's really comfortable," Murphy said.
-- Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth will be back.
-- The singers were nervous performing for President Obama, but even more so for Oprah.
The show is interested in exploring a broader range of music. "We're just kind of getting going and there's a lot we want to pay homage to," Murphy said
