Who wouldn't want to get back to these faces? (Twitter, @GleekMagical)

Season 5 of "Glee" premieres Thursday night, and with the death of Cory Monteith in mid-July, the series is taking an unexpected turn. Here’s what we know:

1. A LOT of new characters: With every new season of "Glee," we expect to see a couple of new characters make their debut, but Season 5 is in talks to introduce about ten or eleven fresh faces. These include a love interest for Sam (Chord Overstreet), a new African American student of McKinley High named Ruby, a bad Cheerio named Bree, and a new unidentified male lead. This new lead will not replace Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith) but will be based in NYC. Of course, these characters are subject to change throughout the season as storylines are modified.

2. Kurt’s New Rival: "American Idol" alum Adam Lambert will be joining the cast of "Glee" as Kurt Hummel’s (Chris Colfer) nemesis. It will be nice to see the “mean” side of Mr. Hummel for a change as these two rivals battle it out. He is set to appear on the fourth episode and sing Lady Gaga’s most recent hit “Applause.” News of Lambert’s new role was announced to the world by director and producer Ryan Murphy on Twitter in early July.

3. Santana Moves On: Joining Lambert, Demi Lovato will star as Dani, playing Santana’s (Naya Rivera) new love interest. Demi’s debut performance is a lovely rendition of the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun”, in which she harmonizes alongside Naya’s character (Listen below). The two will also share a steamy kiss, and Naya shared the details about their rehearsal in a recent interview with Access Hollywood. "I made out with her like in my trailer before we shot the scene. So then I just like warmed her up. You know what I'm saying?”

4. Beatles Tribute: Demi and Naya’s cover of “Here Comes the Sun” isn’t the only Beatles song to be featured in the season premiere. Episodes 1 and 2 are inspired by the iconic band’s most popular hits. All fourteen covers are now available on SoundCloud so be prepared to hear some sweet music.

5. New Series Regulars: Unfortunately, some of our favorite characters have been cut as series regulars. Brittany, (Heather Morris), Quinn (Dianna Agron), Puck (Mark Salling), Mercedes (Amber Riley), and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) are now recurring characters and will make occasional guest appearances. On the bright side, Marley (Melissa Benoist), Jake (Jacob Artist), Kitty (Becca Tobin), Ryder (Blake Jenner), and Unique (Alex Newell) have been promoted to series regulars.

6. Memorial Episode: Following the tragic passing of Cory Monteith, Ryan Murphy and the writers of "Glee" had to push the season premiere back to accommodate for the loss of the one and only Finn Hudson. Episode three will be entirely dedicated to the late "Glee" star, and according to Hollywood Life, the cast will sing “Seasons of Love,” from the Broadway show, "Rent." The tribute will celebrate Cory’s life and his impact on devoted Gleeks who have stuck by the show. Rachel’s (Lea Michele) appearance will be limited to the final act, but is rightfully one of the most powerful moments of the episode.

7. Rachel’s New Job: In spoiler photos from Season 5, Episode 2, “Tina in the Sky with Diamonds,” Rachel Berry is seen donning a red diner-girl outfit along with Santana. Taking baby steps to achieve stardom, both girls take on new jobs as waitresses. It should be interesting to see them work a normal job for once.

Are you excited to watch the new characters and twists of "Glee" Season 5? Be sure to tune in Thu 9/8c Sep 26 on Fox.

Reach Staff Reporter Brittany Lazar here.