Watch: 'Glee' stars Jacob Artist and Melissa Benoist introduce their new characters

Who are Jake and Marley other than halves of a "Christmas Carol" character?

By Daniel FienbergThursday, Sep 13, 2012 5:35 PM

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When last we left McKinley High School, it was Graduation Day and Ryan Murphy was sending a good chunk of his "Glee" cast packing, whether to "New York City" for regular ongoing adventures or off into the ether for periodic guest appearances.

But just because Finn and Puck and Quinn and Santana aren't necessarily going to be around full-time [nobody actually knows for sure] doesn't mean that "Glee" is going to become an intimidate chamber drama. No. Get ready to meet a slew of fresh characters, both in Lima and in the Rachel Berry-centric Big Apple scenes.

Earlier this week, I sat down with a few of the "Glee" new kids to talk about joining the musical-dramedy, which launches its fourth season on Thursday (September 13) night.

Up first? Jacob Artist and Melissa Benoist.

It's theoretically possible that you might know Artist from "How To Rock," "Melissa & Joey" or the recent "Blue Lagoon: The Awakening," but chances are good that "Glee" will be the first time you've seen him. He plays Jake Puckerman and it takes very little time to realize that the Puckerman apple doesn't fall far from the Puckerman tree.

Benoist also has a small roster of guest roles, including episodes of "Homeland" and "The Good Wife," but she'll be making her first big splash as Marley, a gal with a gorgeous voice and a funny hat.

I chatted with Artist and Benoist about their characters, about hazing on the "Glee" set and about the strongly insinuated possibility that Jake and Marley -- Ryan Murphy's been reading his Charles Dickens -- are heading for a romantic collision.

Check out the video... And stay tuned for my interviews with Becca Tobin and Dean Geyer next week after you've met Kitty and Brody.

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Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.