Espenson might not be the most instantly recognisable name on this list, but if you're a fan of genre television then I can almost guarantee that you've enjoyed something she's written: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Angel, Torchwood, Warehouse 13, Firefly, Dollhouse, Deep Space Nine...hell, even The O.C. and Gilmore Girls. You name it, she's probably had a witty and delightful hand in it at some point. The talented screenwriter had maintained a relatively low profile due to her tendency to get staffed on shows but never create them (with the exception of Warehouse 13, which she co-created) until 2011, when her webseries Husbands (co-written and created with star Brad Bell) exploded all over the internet. The hilarious story of two gay men who accidentally get married while drunk and decide to stay that way was pretty much universally loved and has gone on to produce 3 seasons of free online content so far and given Espenson much more recognition than ever before. Espenson's foray into comics writing has been relatively recent, having written a few issues of Buffy the Vampire Slayer anthology comics in the early noughties and contributing to Seasons 8 & 9 of Dark Horse's canonical continuation of the TV show. She and co-creator Brad Bell also co-wrote a Husbands comic, released last year, and her breezy dialogue and well-crafted stories translate just as well to the page as they do the screen.
