‘Glee’ series finale: Darren Criss on writing ‘This Time’ for Lea Michele

“Glee” was the subject of conversation at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Friday night, and there was quite a bit of time spent reflecting on the past. The penultimate episode “2009” was screened, and some of the cast members discussed the impact the show had on their lives. In attendance tonight were Jane Lynch, Lea Michele, Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Heather Morris, Chord Overstreet and Dot-Marie Jones, and they all had a few moments to explain what the show meant to them.

Those of you wanting enormous plot spoilers were probably disappointed, but since this is the end of the road for the show, nobody really wants to say too much. Instead, what we had was Darren Criss spending some time discussing “This Time,” which is the original song he wrote for Lea Michele to perform. It was the last song that she did for the show, and he had a very specific goal in mind going into the writing process: “My main thing was to write a song for Lea. It’s not just my own vanity. [Overall, it was meant as] a love note for the entire series.”

As for Lea’s feelings about it, she admits that she found a sort of catharsis in singing some of the emotional lyrics that her co-star penned:

“That was the day I feel to my knees and cried. I got to say everything to everyone that I always [hoped] to say but you can’t think of the words, and he wrote them.”

Many of these cast members are looking already for ways to move forward. Criss is heading to Broadway for “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Michele will be a part of the upcoming Ryan Murphy series “Scream Queens,” and Lynch already has a new comedy pilot.

We will surely have more on the “Glee” series finale as we approach it airing. For now, just head over here if you want to receive some other TV updates courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)