The idea all along, according to series creator James Duff, was to give Rusty a very long coming-out process, but as gay, not bisexual.

The girlfriend plot written into season 2 was designed to show Rusty's confusion and discomfort with his sexuality, Duff told entertainment website TheBacklot.com.

In an episode this past summer, Rusty had a fight with his birth mother in which she blamed her many problems on him and his sexuality. Duff said that fight in particular had been planned since the very beginning of the show, which proves how far back the idea of Rusty's homosexuality goes.

It's a storyline that is very personal for Duff, who is also gay. "Because the part is sort of based on me, I was always going to do that," he told TheBacklot.com.

It's also one of the few elements of the show that is "serialized" -- that is, that continues from week to week, as compared to the actual cases, which are generally resolved at the end of each episode.

Duff said that helping the teen through his various problems has served to "humanize" the lead character, Capt. Sharon Raydor (played by Mary McDonnell).

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