From thirtysomething to Brothers & Sisters

Kevin and Scotty’s wedding has been part of the plan for a while, Grant says, though the writers’ strike earlier this year, which resulted in fewer episodes this season, meant that the storylines had to be told in an abbreviated way. Ironically, he says, the rushed schedule worked dramatically, with Kevin’s sudden proposal to Scotty being more unexpected than if they had built up to it over episode after episode.

How did Kevin end up with Scotty and not Jason, a previous love interest? “As season two evolved, it was clear,” Grant says. “So we really felt that [a wedding] was the best way to close the season.”

Rhys (left) & MacFarlane

Photo credit: Randy Holmes / ABC

“People were really rooting for Scotty and Kevin to get together,” Olin agrees. “And like any love story, you want to make it hard for them to get together. Then ultimately, they get together and you have to explore, okay, now they’re together, now what do we do? That provided more possibilities for a mature exploration of that relationship than continuing to put Kevin with different people, the commitment phobia storyline. We get it. Ten years ago, his commitment phobia probably would have played out for most of the series the way it did for, say, Peter Horton’s character on thirtysomething. In our storytelling, it plays out for maybe 20 episodes.”

As for the actual writing of the wedding episode, “We all helped a bit,” Grant says. “But it was written by Greg and Monica [Breen] and Alison [Schapker]. It was just a joy to behold.”

Grant points to another revolutionary “gay” element in Brothers & Sisters: the character of Saul, a closeted older man, played by Ron Rifkin, who finally admitted to Kevin in the wedding proposal episode that he is, in fact, gay.

“I mean, good grief, how many shows are doing this, a sixty-something year-old man just came out!” Grant says. “I think it’s just great that ABC is letting us do these stories.”

Ron Rifkin

Photo credit Michael Desmond / ABC

Grant and Olin are tight-lipped about future plot developments on Brothers & Sisters — but mostly because they haven’t been written yet. Berlanti reportedly has the first six episodes of next season mapped out, with the rest to be conceived after a break.

But rest assured, they say, Kevin, Scotty, and Saul will be front and center. “The vibe that I get is that there is just no problem [with gay storylines],” Grant says. In contrast with his six-episode stint on thirtysomething, which resulted in headlines and advertiser defections, “I’m not getting the sense that anybody at ABC is concerned in any way about this, and I’ve not heard anything about advertisers.”

Olin, meanwhile, is delighted by what he sees as the subversive nature of the show’s gay storylines.

“We’ve created these two men [Kevin and Scotty], and you root for them to get together,” he says. “And we’ve created the character of Saul where you spend time rooting for him to find the strength to come out. If you can create that dynamic with the audience, you’ve completely subverted their prejudice without them even knowing it.”

Olin and Grant both love working on the show, and plan to continue the journey. But Olin points out that thirtysomething and Brothers & Sisters aren’t the only times the two friends have worked together.

“I did a play with David, and I actually did a striptease for him,” Olin says.

“A little play called The Fairy Garden,” Grant says with a laugh. “Ken stripped in front of me every night for the love of our little show, down to a g-string, I think. He’s very proud of this.”