Review Fix: Q & A With ‘Husbands’ Co-Creator and Writer Jane Espenson

Review Fix chats with Husbands co-creator Jane Espenson who discusses the hit web-series turned cult-favorite comic book.

With a list of television writing credits under her belt that include “Dinosaurs,” “Ellen,” Battlestar Galactica,” “Torchwood” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Espenson is easily one of the most versatile writers in entertainment today.

Review Fix: What was the inspiration for the show?

Jane Espenson: Brad Bell was working on an idea for an online show he wanted to make featuring himself as the “Cheeks” character and including Alessandra Torresani as the character that became Haley. We tossed it back and forth, looking for that hook that gave the show something to say. When Brad came up with the idea of basing it around same-sex newlyweds, we realized that this wasn’t just a fun project to do together, but a chance to say something on a topic that were both passionate about.

Review Fix: Considering that, what made you guys go from online sitcom to comic book?

Espenson: We had just completed work on season two of Husbands and we were doing a lot of interviews where people joked about my sci-fi-filled resume… a lot of people joking, asking about “Husbands in Space,” and it started to sound good. Also, the characters weren’t leaving us alone, and when we thought about putting them in different iconic comic book worlds, we realized that we could chart the continuing development of the relationship in a really entertaining way through the books.

Review Fix: How is working on a comic book different from writing for television?

Espenson: It’s more like directing, actually. It’s much more about the pictures than the words, generally, so you have to think very visually and block the scenes. Also, you have room for a lot less story, so even a really minimalistic dialog writer has to cut back – and neither Brad nor I is a really minimalistic dialog writer. We had the added dimension that we were working with characters that hadn’t been depicted before, and with a series of different artists, so that was new, approving character designs for each issue. That was a lot different than TV writing, although I guess it’s a little similar to casting.

Review Fix: How does it feel to have the praise of comic book legend Neil Gaiman?

Espenson: Amazing. Husbands has found some really high-level fans for both the show and the comics. Joss Whedon and Jon Cryer and now Neil Gaiman among others – that just blows us away. We love the show – it’s our lives for much of the year, but it’s hard to remain objective, so when other people love it, that means so much. And Neil Gaiman – wow – that’s some high octane fan power.

Review Fix: What do you think you learned from working on “Battlestar Galactica,” “Torchwood” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and how do you think it translates to Husbands?

Espenson: I think I learned joke writing from my work before that, on sitcoms like Dinosaurs and Ellen. I think those shows, the dramas, taught me to strip the poetry out of writing. Human beings under stress either get terse and blunt, or stammery and indirect, but in neither case do they tend to get eloquent. I think shows like those, that value writing from life, instead of from what you’ve heard before on other shows, I think those kinds of shows teach you to write dialog that can move people even without any ornamentation. I try to use that in Husbands, as does Brad – we’re always starting from what would someone really say, how would this person react in real life, and then finding the funny take on it.

Review Fix: Why should fans of the show check out the comic?

Espenson: Because it’s Cheeks and Brady and Haley. You know them, you love them, and seeing them in these contexts is fun.

Review Fix: Why should comic fans check out the comic?

Espenson: Because it takes comic book tropes and twists them in interesting and non-random ways to make a point.

Review Fix: How do you want this series/stage of your career to be remembered when compared to your previous works?

Espenson: I want Husbands – in all its incarnations – to be seen as me and Brad stepping forward with our own reason to tell a story.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite element of Husbands?

Espenson: The way the humor has bite. It comes out of real places, often real frustrations, and it is true to the underlying point. We never sell out our point of view to make a joke. The jokes are there as expressions of the point of view.

Review Fix: What do you think the future holds for the series?

Espenson: Time will tell. We are confident there will be a season three. The comics are being collected in a hardcover edition. Beyond that, who knows, but I felt, from the day we came up with the premise, that this is a show that deserves to exist, and I still believe that.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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