But Murphy discovered that the pop legend is an admirer of the hit Fox TV show and wants his music to be part of it. McCartney enclosed a mix of some of his tunes, including "Michelle," and asked Murphy to consider using them on the series about high school misfits in a glee club. "I was gob smacked. I grew up with that guy. So, of course, we are going to do something," Murphy told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting on Monday.

The former Beatle won't be the only familiar name associated with "Glee" when it returns next season. Susan Boyle, the unlikely "Britain's Got Talent" discovery, is in talks to be part of the Christmas episode, Murphy said. Another hour will feature the songs of Britney Spears, and the show is wooing a "major" artist, whom Murphy wouldn't identify, for a tribute episode to air after the Super Bowl next year.

But "Glee" aims to be more intimate instead of "going bigger and overstuffing season two," said Murphy, also an executive producer on the show.