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“Glee” adds two female writers, including lesbian TV producer Allison Adler

Imagine a world where Glee features a prominent lesbian voice handling its storylines. Then imagine a world where Glee is as well written as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men. Then stop imagining. Glee has hired six new writers for its upcoming third season including lesbian producer Allison Adler and former Buffy writer/producer Marti Noxon.

Since its start, Glee has bypassed the typical writer’s room, opting instead to have co-creators and executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan write all the episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But now for the first time the show will be adding outside voices, and female voices, to the writing mix. Can I just get a hallelujah? No, really, I need a hallelujah immediately.

Adler, who is the partner of The Talk co-host Sara Gilbert, is known for her work on shows like Chuck, No Ordinary Family and Commander in Chief. She will also serve as a co-executive producer on Glee. Noxon’s resume is brimming with good works from Buffy to Angel and Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. She was also the woman singing plaintively to get out of a parking ticket in the Buffy musical. Noxon will also serve as a consulting producer.

The other new writers will be Michael Hitchcock (a frequent collaborator with mockumentary director extraordinaire Christopher Guest, who also appeared in the show’s first season as the director of the deaf choir), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (a comic book writer who worked on Big Love and did the rewrite for the Broadway musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark), Matt Hodgson (a script supervisor on Glee who worked with Murphy on Eat, Pray, Love) and Ross Maxwell (an actor with no previous writing credits).

While fans of the show, myself included, love its championing of the underdog and embrace of the outrageous, what we haven’t always loved is its continuity. Consistent storylines and characterization has sometimes given way to novelty acts and left field revelations. Characters have been given to personality whiplash or amnesia. Like, if Santana’s dad is a “real doctor,” why do they live in Lima Heights Adjacent, where bad things happen?

Adding two acclaimed female TV veterans can only help the show deepen its narratives and, hopefully, finally fully realize its potential. And adding a lesbian voice seems invaluable now that the show has two prominent queer female characters — or at the very least a Lebanese and a bicurious one — in Santana and Brittany.

Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter in May that Season 3 will focus more on new freshmen characters and included more serialized stories. He told THR:

Last year you had the baby story line that everyone could follow and this year we didn’t do that. Next year we’re going to be doing that more. What I have learned from this season is I think people want story arcs.

Yes, Ryan Murphy, people do actually watch TV for the story arcs and not just the Lady Gaga outfits. Crazy, I know.

So, excited about the new additions? Excited to have women — including a gay woman — finally having a voice in the show’s direction? Does this mean good things for the good ship Brittana? Man, I sure hope so.

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