What’s ahead for newly out Sean Maher’s closeted gay character on NBC’s “The Playboy Club”

I’m still giddy about Sean Maher coming out publicly.

You can count on this blog covering his career and rooting him on as he moves forward in his career.

Right now, he’s one of the stars of NBC’s ratings-challenged The Playboy Club so let’s enjoy the Firefly alum on that show for as long as it airs! Who knows? Maybe his coming out will drum up increased interest in the series – I know it does for me!

Anyway, in the Entertainment Weekly piece in which Sean discusses being gay, we also learn that his Playboy Club character’s storyline gets bigger in the coming weeks.

His closeted TV alter ego, also named Sean, is married to lesbian Playboy Bunny Alice (Leah Renee Cudmore). He also becomes the campaign manager for Playboy Club staple Nick (Eddie Cibrian). who’s running for state’s attorney.

“There’s some great stuff in the next episode when we have my parents over for dinner,” Maher says. “It’s a beard-y situation. When are we having grandkids comes up, but there is actually two things we’re hiding: There’s the gay thing for both of us, but then also the Playboy Club thing. [His parents] would be mortified if they knew she worked in the Club. So there’s lots of things we’re keeping hidden.”

Unlike his television character, Maher feels coming out he needed to do to tie his life together, personally and professionally: “Creatively, I feel so much more open and free, and I am so happy on The Playboy Club. I think it’s because I’ve never been so open on set. All of the relationships that I have off-camera, I never would have allowed five years ago. It feels so liberating.”

Hooray for Sean!!!

(He is pictured below with his Firefly co-star Jewel Staite with whom he posed for the NOH8 campaign for same-sex marriage.