Glee‘s no stranger to introducing various family members of McKinley High’s students and staff. And now another one will be stopping by the hit FOX musical.

We’ve already been introduced to Puck’s mother in season 1’s “Mash-Up.” And now TVLine is reporting that Thomas Calabro (of Melrose Place fame) has been cast to play Puck’s (Mark Salling) father in episode 18, set to air later in the season. If I have my episode count math correct, episode 18 will air May 1. Before this, Blaine’s brother, Cooper Anderson, played by Matt Bomer, will guest star on April 10.

Leading up to this official announcement, there have been rumors that this character would pop up on Glee sometime soon. SpoilerTV had this to tease about a new character: “A potentially recurring character will enter the show in [episode 18]. His name is James Elliot and he is a man who dropped out of high school, became a young dad and then left his wife and kid. He’s also got a little bit of a sense of danger about him.”

And earlier in the week, E! Online mentioned that “we’ll meet a new character who might turn out to have an impact on someone … we’re just not sure who will be affected. This new character is in his 40’s, and his life is in shambles. He dropped out of high school, left his wife and hasn’t paid child support in a real long time. Word on the street is he might stick around on Glee.”

This sure sounds like it would be Puck’s father, don’t you think? Based on these character analyses, many of these traits could easily be seen in Puck himself. If it’s true that James Elliot (if that is in fact his name) might stick around for a while on the show, then maybe having a father in his life will alter Puck’s perception on what he wants to do with his life, future career, etc.

What do you think of this bit of casting news? Are you excited that Glee is continuing the tradition of introducing the family members of our core cast? And how do you think this might affect Puck?

(Image courtesy of TV Guide)

Jeff Dodge

Staff Writer, BuddyTV

Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.