Fall TV Preview
Check who’s out as new LGBT characters join returning favorites
By Lesley Goldberg

It’s been four months without some of our favorite prime time gays and we’ve had a lot of time to think about just what will happen next on favorites like Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family and, of course, Glee. While Callie, Arizona, Kurt, Mitchell and Cam are all wonderful characters, prepare to meet a new cadre of LGBT characters this fall. From a lesbian cheerleader on the CW’s Hellcat to Alicia’s gay brother on The Good Wife, here are a few shows worthy of your gay ol’ screen time this fall.

Gold standard

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

A bloody good season finale saw Jessica Capshaw’s Arizona reunite with Sara Ramirez’s bone healer Callie after a shooting spree that had a drastic impact on just about every character on the drama. Prime time TV’s leading lesbians return — but will it be one big happy family for “Calzona?” Callie wants kids, but was Arizona in shock after the shooting spree? What’s going to happen with Mark Sloan and his new granddaughter now that his flighty estranged daughter has left town? Will the two story lines intersect or will fans see Capshaw’s real-life pregnancy seep into the story?

Grey’s Anatomy returns Sept. 23.

New characters

The Good Wife/“S#*! My Dad Says/Rules of Engagement (CBS)

After receiving a “fail” rating from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), CBS has vowed to increase its representation of LGBT characters on its prime time programming, announcing this summer that three gay characters will be join two returning series and its much-hyped Twitter takeoff S#*! My Dad Says.

For Emmy darling The Good Wife, Season 2 will bring the introduction of Julianna Margulies’ gay brother, to be played by Dallas Roberts, formerly of The L Word. But the real reason to tune in is Archie Panjabi’s mysterious Kalinda, who when the garage door closed on Season 1 was last seen sharing a private kiss with FBI agent Lana (Jill Flint).

Meanwhile, returning comedy Rules of Engagement will add a lesbian surrogate for leads Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price in its upcoming fifth season.

Over on S#*! My Dad Says, little is known how the gay character will fit in on the show starring William Shatner.

Rules of Engagement returns Sept. 20; S#*! My Dad Says premieres Sept. 23; The Good Wife starts on Sept. 28.

Rally time

Hellcats (The CW)

This new show is about cheerleaders in college, with an out lesbian member of the squad. Meet Patty “The Wedge” Wedgerman, a “ballsy, fearless and cheerfully profane” lead character to be played by Elena Esovolova. The show promises to have a traces of Election and Bring It On, and is based on a successful book — Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by Kate Torgovnick. High School Musical’s Ashley Tisdale co-stars.

Hellcats premieres Sept. 8.

Familiar faces

Chase (NBC)/Facing Kate (USA Network)

If you’re a fan of Showtime’s groundbreaking lesbian drama The L Word, you’ll love seeing two familiar faces back on the airwaves this fall.

Rose Rollins channels her best Tasha Williams on NBC’s Chase, a drama revolving around a team of U.S. marshals. Rollins goes from a closeted member of the military on L Word to tactical specialist Daisy, aka “Hurricane,” a second-generation Nigerian.

On USA Network, Shane’s former bride-to-be Sarah Shahi plays Facing Kate’s title character, a former attorney who becomes a mediator out of a desire to help people. Ethan Embry will play Kate’s gay brother Spencer in five of the rookie show’s first 12 episodes. Gay parenting will be the primary story line for Spencer, and we’ll meet his boyfriend toward the end of the season.

Chase premieres Sept. 20; USA Network hasn’t announced when Facing Kate will bow other than the fall.

Returning Favorites

Modern Family (ABC)/Glee (Fox)

Do either of these shows really need an introduction? Both were embraced by viewers and the Emmys and made shockwaves throughout pop culture — and brought gay storylines into millions of homes across the country. From Chris Colfer and Mike O’Malley’s amazing father-son relationship on Glee to Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet’s incredible relationship as Mitchell and Cameron on Modern Family, the comedies will up the gay in their respective second seasons.

Mitchell and Cameron will eventually kiss (thanks, Facebook!) and over on Glee, pinkie-holding Cheerios Brittany (Heather Morris) and Santana (Naya Rivera) will lock lips in a non-stunty way, according to out creator Ryan Murphy. Plus Britney Spears will guest star.

Modern Family returns Sept. 22; Glee begins on Sept. 21.