Oh My! Allegiance's George Takei Lands Role on NBC’s The New Normal

George Takei is headed back to TV in Ryan Murphy’s outrageous new comedy series, The New Normal. The stage and screen star, who is currently headlining the new musical Allegiance at the Old Globe Theatre, was welcomed to the show’s cast via Twitter by Murphy himself.

“Proud to announce Nicole Richie and the legendary George Takei are joining The New Normal family,” Murphy tweeted on September 28. No exact details were revealed about Takei's role or in how many episodes he will appear, but here’s hoping the openly gay Takei will go head-to-head with wildly homophobic real estate agent Jane Forrest (played by Tony winner Ellen Barkin). Richie's appearance will mark a reunion between the former Simple Life star and New Normal's Andrew Rannells: Richie recently fed baby food to the Tony nominee on Watch What Happens Live!

Takei currently plays Sam Kimura in the world premiere of Allegiance, a musical inspired by Takei’s own personal experiences during the Japanese American internment of World War II. Best known to audiences as Sulu on Star Trek, Takei’s TV and film credits also include General Hospital, Larry Crowne, Supah Ninjas, Heroes and Kim Possible. 

The New Normal tells the story of a gay couple and the surrogate mother they’ve chosen to carry their baby. The series airs Tuesdays on NBC.