Cory Monteith and Lea Michele in a 2010 episode of Glee.Cory Monteith and Lea Michele in a 2010 episode of Glee.

High-school hit series Glee returned for its fifth season, with a subtle, sad reminder of late cast member Cory Monteith in the opening episode.

Lea Michele’s character, Rachel, glances at a photo on her mobile phone – a group shot of her old school glee club pals, including Monteith’s Finn. Rachel is heard singing the melancholy Beatles tune Yesterday.

Monteith, 31, died in July of a drug and alcohol overdose.

His off-screen relationship with Michele mirrored their characters’ on-screen romance.

The new season of Glee began this week with the first episode of a two-part salute to the Beatles. A tribute to Monteith is planned for episode three, to be shown on October ­­10.

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