Some major cast changes in Glee

Glee is undergoing another cast change for its upcoming fifth season, and it involves dropping four of the original stars as series regular. According to TVLine, Heather Morris, Mark Salling, Amber Riley and Harry Shum Jr. are all being cut as series regular for Glee season 5.

The quartet -- along with Dianna Agron (Quinn) and Jayma Mays (Emma) -- will likely return for guest appearances going forward, as has become the norm on the dramedy. Mays, meanwhile, already has found her next gig and will co-star in CBS' upcoming Will Arnett comedy The Millers.

The new kids of Glee are sticking around for season 5. Following the demotion of four original series regulars, five of the newbies introduced over the past two seasons are being promoted.

The Fox musical has promoted Melissa Benoist (Marley), Jacob Artist (Jake), Becca Tobin (Kitty) and The Glee Project alums Blake Jenner and Alex Newell to series regulars.

The news is hardly a surprise. Morris' Brittany had a big send-off in the season 4 finale, and combined with the actress' real-life pregnancy, it seemed obvious she was leaving the show. As for Salling, Riley and Shum, they all saw their roles greatly diminished in season 4, each appearing in only eight of the 22 episodes. The fact that they were credited as series regulars while people like Melissa Benoist and Jacob Artist (who both appeared in every single season 4 episode) were guest stars seemed odd.

Glee returns for its fifth season in September.