Might the outcry over Chord Overstreet's status on Glee be premature and unnecessary?

While it's true the actor was not promoted to series regular along with Darren Criss and Harry Shum, a series insider makes one thing very clear: he wasn't fired, either.

“His option to be a series regular was just not picked up at this time,” the source tells Michael Ausiello. “If Chord wants to appear on Glee, the choice is his. The Glee writers like his Sam character, and have plans to write for him. He and his reps have been told that he is welcome back to Glee, and everyone hopes he will show up on August 10 when filming begins.”

The insider adds that there's every reason to believe Overstreet will be added as a regular "as early as January."

This certainly makes more sense than reports that claimed Chord was fired. The show had just given him a juicy storyline as Mercedes' boyfriend on the finale.

Let's all hope the actor's loyal fans simply overreacted to the initial news, Overstreet plays a key role in the fall and then receives the upgrade we all wish to see before the season is over.

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