Speaking at the Television Critics Association today, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly discussed Glee’s upcoming fourth season and how he considered splitting the season in half.

A split was in the cards to help differentiate the plotlines between Ohio and New York. Fans already know that Rachel, and possibly others, will be in New York to attend NYADA.

Hitfix’s TCA live blog reports on what Reilly had to say:

“We will be in both locations in most shows. There’s not a rigid formula,” Reilly says. He claims that he contemplated splitting the season in half and doing one half in Ohio and one half in NYC, but he didn’t think that was what fans were going to want. The key word: “Seamlessly.” The early episodes cut back and forth with thematic linkages between the two geographies. “It all feels very natural if you’ve been a fan of the show,” he promises.

Earlier Reilly said that after reading season four’s first three scripts, he’s “very, very happy with how seamless” the New York and Ohio transitions are.

Finally, the exec clarified the presence of the cast throughout the entire season, saying “We really have a core of some of the returning characters and some of the new ones that we’ll be servicing every week, and then limited deals with some of the other actors, who will be joining here and there through the season. I think it will make for a fun surprise [when they turn up].”

Glee premieres September 13 at 9 PM ET/PT.