Apart from occasional gossip-column items about her ongoing romance with Harrison Ford, actress Calista Flockhart has willingly dropped off the radar since the 2002 cancellation of Ally McBeal.

Now she’s back with the new ABC show Brothers and Sisters, created by acclaimed gay playwright Jon Robin Baitz (The Substance of Fire).

But the real drama on the show may be behind the cameras - Marti Noxon, Joss Whedon’s second-in-command on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, recently bolted her duties as executive producer and showrunner on Brothers, with openly gay Everwood creator Greg Berlanti looking like her replacement. There are rumors of friction on the set, but of course no one’s talking.

ABC clearly believes in the show, however, giving it the plum Sunday night spot after Desperate Housewives.