We are Casey Johnson, David Windsor and Stacy Traub and are the showrunners of the ABC comedy series, The Real O’Neals. Ask Us Anything!

Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis The Wise?

No, but tell us about it!

I thought not. It’s not a story ABC would tell you. It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life… He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death, but not himself.

Thank you for sharing! Sounds like a great arc for Season 3.

When ABC decides whether or not to renew, will they take into consideration how important this show is to LGBT youth-especially in this political climate? It's such a positive show.

We hope they do, and we know they understand how much good we're doing for the community. Thanks for being such a great fan!

You guys do good work! I watch this with my 14yr old son and we end up having great discussions about things like being different, confidence, family, and the love that he can always depend on at home, no matter who he is as he becomes a young man. So yeah, thanks! So here's my question since the mod deleted my comment for not having a question. Do you get feedback from parents and kids?

Yes, many kids tweet to us and Noah from around the world saying that his character gives them hope. We also hear from parents who say that the show has helped them understand and talk to their gay son or daughter. It's nice to see a version of yourself on TV. We feel so lucky that we could give these people a voice and something recognizable on TV.

Has the network or studio ever given notes to address red state audiences?

No, but we wrapped production before Trump was president. Luckily our notes are usually about story and character, as they should be.

Talking about S3, have you heard anything about it yet? Is ABC open to give you another season?

We haven't heard anything yet, but ABC loves our show. You normally don't find out about pickups until early May.

We feel positive that we have a good shot, and we are already thinking of stories for Season 3!

Love the show and the fantasy sequences! Any plans to bring Jesus back for season 3? I hear he's a pretty big deal.

Yes! Jesus has been a big part of the show ever since the pilot. As long as he keeps coming back, we'll have him.

What is the very best cheese?

Stacy likes aged gouda.

David likes a stinky bleu.

Casey is going to go out on a limb and say fondue.

What was your process or break getting into the industry? What's your story of your humble beginnings?

All three of us started off as writers assistants working horrible hours late into the night. David and Casey were on Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place and Stacy was on Mad About You.

But those terrible jobs are great ways to learn how to break a story and be in a writers room.

I was a writers' PA and briefly a writers' asst before getting some writing opportunities.

I agree that they can be terrible, but in the long run they humble you and brace you for what's to come.

Plus, you get really good at typing. And bad experiences give you stuff to write about.

Do you film with a live audience? If yes how do I be a part of it so I can watch?

Unfortunately we do not. We shoot it like a movie. The closest you could get to watching live would be to check out our blooper reel!

https://twitter.com/TheRealONeals/status/829808477283422208

Aww that sucks. But any plans to jump on doing "That Musical" episode bandwagon in the near future?

We feel like we have musical elements in a lot of our episodes and would love to do an entire musical episode. It would be a lot of fun and our cast is amazingly talented and could pull it off! We once saw them all tap dance together at a photoshoot, and they've got skills.

Hi love the show! What was the most difficult episode to write, and why?

The Real Match, the episode where Kenny joins the wrestling team.

It started off as a story about a homophobic baker who wouldn't sell a cake to a gay couple who was getting married. We wanted to do a story about homophobia, but we realized the baker wasn't enough about Kenny's life, so we had to come up with a whole new story.

Do you have a guest star (or guest writer) wish list for next season? If so, who would you love to have on the show?

Ellen Degeneres is our dream guest star for one of Kenny's fantasies. Maybe Kerry Washington could date Pat for an episode? And always, George Takei!

We did a mashup with a Sia song in the Christmas episode and we'd love to have on the show. She could wear whatever wig she wanted.

What inspired you guys to create the show? Are some of the stories based on personal life experiences? Keep up the fantastic work!

The show is loosely based on Dan Savage's life, but week in and week out most of our stories come from our amazing writers, half of whom are gay (and some of whom are divorced) who are willing to share their personal lives with America.

Thank you for watching!

Is this show more important now than ever before given the current political climate?

We think it is. In a climate of fear, our show about acceptance and love can help people see that being different isn't so scary.

What's the most menial task a showrunner must do? What prop or furniture would you like to take home (and might)?

Going through the background actors' wardrobe is probably the most menial task.

David took home the hideous rhinoceros water pitcher. Stacy took an apron from the kitchen and a Pope plate. Casey stole an owl piggy bank. We also all have mugs from Rainbow Grind -- but they were given to us! The first things we stole.

What is it you're checking for in the wardrobe -- bad fashion choices?

that things don't clash, that they look like the fit the scene, that not everyone is wearing orange, that they don't blend in to the set.

What's the weirdest wardrobe fix (or any production fix) you've had to come up with?

In the first season everyone showed up to a scene in the kitchen wearing burgundy so we had to switch out Eileen's sweater. And in the recent Valentine's Day episode, Pat, Jimmy, and Kenny were all wearing similar colored jackets which we were able to fix in post. We also moved the logo of the Magic 8 Ball so that you could know what VP Murray was holding. That was also fixed in post. Anything can be fixed in post, that's not a lie.

Which episode(s) are your fav ones?

The Real Match when Kenny joins the wrestling team, The Real Halloween with Kenny as Beyonce, The Real Grandma, and one of our favorites is the Season 2 finale TONIGHT at 9:30PM.

What are your favorites?

I did love a lot The Real Grandma. Frances Conroy was amazing! The Real Sin is also one of my favorite x) Really funny!

The Real Grandma was nominated for a Humanitas Award and we are really proud of it. Frances Conroy is everything!

What was your original idea for the S2 finale, before ABC decided to give you 3 more episodes? Was Brett still supposed to leave Kenny?

Actually, Brett and Kenny were supposed to get back together on Valentine's Day and we were toying with the idea of meeting Brett's family and of Jimmy dating Brett's BFF Christi.

Really? So, why did you change your mind about it?

We didn't feel like we had enough time to tell the stories in a fully realized way, and we wanted to see Kenny go through his first breakup.

There's always a chance in Season 3 that Kenny and Brett could get back together!