Yes, Glee fans, the chatter is true: not all cast members will be around for season four.

Appearing on Ryan Seacrest's radio show today, Ryan Murphy confirmed what he had hinted at previously: "This next [season] will be their senior year, and then that [they] will graduate.... We didn’t want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years. We really wanted  to be true to that experience.”

This means that Rachel, Finn, Quinn and Puck will all depart the show in May 2012. Or at least William McKinley High School. It wouldn't shock us if storylines followed a few characters to college, or NYC as hinted at in the finale.

New characters will be brought in to replace the originals, with Murphy saying Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch will remain “the male and female lynchpins of the series."

Overall, though, Glee “is a celebration of youth and talent," he said. "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, and is the spirit of the series.”

Which senior will you miss the most, readers?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.