'Glee' Season 5 Gets Reduced Episode Order

FOX's 'Glee' has had a difficult year to begin with, as ratings had already fallen since the show's heyday before actor Cory Monteith's passing drastically altered production on the fifth and penultimate season. Now, with ratings at an all-time low, FOX has cut the 'Glee' season 5 episode order by two, so what could it mean for the sixth, and established final season?

Even after airing its 100th episode in recent weeks, and shifting the story solely to the New York side, FOX has officially decided to reduce 'Glee' season 5 from 22 episodes to 20. The decision somewhat owes to the production hiatus at the beginning of the season, and may well unfold in such a way that sees FOX filming 24 episodes for a "super-sized" final season.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

"Glee is still a great property to have on our air," says Fox COO Joe Earley, citing statistics that show it remains a top 10 comedy among teens and viewers with household incomes above $100,000. "There have been some scheduling challenges … but what we see is still an incredibly popular show with a lot of time-shifting."

The fifth season in particular has been averaging 6.8 million total viewers, a steady drop from the first-season highs of 11 million overall. No doubt fans will return to the series for the final year, though at least bodes ill for the moment that FOX would decide to cut the fifth, and arguably more pivotal season short.

What do you think? Has 'Glee' seen its best days behind it? How have you kept up with the series over the last season?