Joss Whedon + 'Glee' = TV-geek nirvana

UPDATE: Comments from the man himself, via Whedonesque:

"Hey kids and parents of kids and super-old, like ancestor-old-but-not-dead-yet-type people, just poking my oversized head in to say that the rumors are true... unless something very odd happens in the next few months, I will have the privilege of shooting an episode of 'Glee.' Why 'Glee'? Because I love cops, serial killers and gritty urban drama (I haven't seen the show yet). Why me? Because they're struggling and can't afford real directors. ...

"What can we expect from a 'Joss Whedon' epsiode of 'Glee'? An episode of 'Glee.' God willin' and the crik don't rise, a good one. A television director's job is, on some level, to be anonymous; to find the most compelling way to present a story without calling attention to himself. I had a wonderful time doing just that on 'The Office,' and hope to again. A guest director can bring a huge amount to the party (we've had CRAZY talent on 'Dollhouse'), but the party isn't his. I just want to work with good people on a show that I like enough to have watched every episode several times. (I lied: I HAVE watched the show. And seriously, when do the cops show up?)"

Original post below.

The squeals of delight you're hearing could well have to do with the fact that TV auteur and avowed musical-theater fan Joss Whedon has signed on to direct an episode of "Glee."

The "Dollhouse" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator will helm an episode of the FOX series later this season. The show's initial 13-episode run is already in the can, so Whedon will take on one of the back nine episodes that FOX picked up last month, the network confirms. His work on "Glee" will happen after the 13-episode run of "Dollhouse" finishes.

"Joss directed one of the great musical episodes in the history of television on 'Buffy,' so this is a great, if unexpected, fit," "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy tells EW.com. "I'm thrilled he'll be loaning us his fantastic, groundbreaking talent."

The musical episode Murphy refers to is "Once More, with Feeling," the "Buffy" season six installment which Whedon wrote (including most of its songs) and directed. He also created the online musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," which won an Emmy in September.

The "Glee" gig will be a rare directorial outing for Whedon on a show he didn't create. His only other outside directing work came on a couple episodes of "The Office" in 2007.

Follow Zap2it on Twitter for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news.

Related:

'Glee' cast to sing the national anthem at the World Series
'Glee' is going on tour
Reports: No 'Glee' at Macy's Thanksgiving parade