He started as a recurring player, he left the series entirely for a couple months, but now Chord Overstreet is officially back as a student at William McKinley High school: the actor has been promoted to series regular on Glee.

The full cast is expected back on Glee Season 4, although only Lea Michele has been confirmed as appearing in every episode.

At yesterday's Television Critics Association panel, producer Ian Brennan said some characters may only show up sporadically as the series shifts between Ohio and New York.

Overstreet will also need to fight for screen time with a couple new stars: Dean Geyer has been cast as a new love interest for Rachel in The Big Apple, while Jacob Artist will come on board as Puck's younger brother.

Glee kicks off a new season on Thursday - yes, Thursday - September 13.

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