For the first two seasons of Glee, the writing staff consisted of just three people: creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan. That’s a lot of responsibility for just three guys, and after many critics (myself included) offered up a lot of complaints about season 2, they’re taking the notes and expanding Glee‘s writing staff.
According to Deadline, six new writers have been added for season 3. They are:
–Allison Adler, a former writer for Chuck and No Ordinary Family
–Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has written for Big Love and who also worked on the revisions for the Spider-Man musical
–Michael Hitchcock, who wrote for MadTV and also acts, having appeared on Glee‘s first season as the show choir director for the School for the Deaf
–Matt Hodgson, a Glee script supervisor
–Ross Maxwell, a relative unknown with no writing credits to his name
–Martin Noxon, former Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grey’s Anatomy and Mad Men writer
Obviously it’s this last one who’s the most exciting. Any time you add anyone associated with Buffy, it’s a big plus, and Noxon was a big part of the show from the second season to the end. Hopefully having two female writers will also help flesh out some of the female characters a bit more. I pray that Glee turns around and reminds me why I fell in love with it in the first place, and here are just five reasons I think Marti Noxon is the woman to do it.
She Knows Comedy
On Buffy, she wrote the incredibly silly season 2 episode “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” where Xander cast a spell to make everyone fall in love with him, and the season 5 premiere “Buffy vs. Dracula,” which featured the classic line “I’m finished being everybody’s butt monkey.” A little more Xander-fication of a few of Glee‘s characters could be a good thing.
She Knows Teen Drama
I don’t expect Glee to completely lose the dramatic elements, and as the writer of “Surprise” (where Buffy first slept with Angel and he turned into Angelus) and “The Prom,” Noxon knows how to make pivotal teen experiences very dramatic.
She Knows About Musicals
Not only did Noxon sing in the Buffy musical episode as the parking ticket woman, but she also sang in Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible and the Sing-a-Long Blog as the female news anchor. So she’s been a part of two wildly hilarious musicals.
She Can Enter an Existing Emmy-Winning Series
Noxon joined the writing staff of Grey’s Anatomy in season 3 and Mad Men in season 2, so coming into Glee for season 3 shouldn’t be a problem.
She’s from the Freaking Whedonverse
The Glee team obviously knows that the easiest way to the heart of a grumpy, judgmental TV fan is to hire a writer from Buffy. By adding Noxon to the staff, Glee has already made many of the haters, like myself, optimistic about season 3.
Noxon alone can’t fix everything, but with a lot of new blood in the writers’ room, I fully expect to see some obvious changes to the show’s tone, which can only be a good thing. Between these additions and the fact that I’m in love with The Glee Project, season 3 could be the best yet.
Source: Deadline
(Image courtesy of FOX)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
