‘Girls’ season 3 spoilers: Andrew Rannells’ return confirmed, will be regular if season 4 happens

Ever since the beginning of “Girls,” it was clear that Lena Dunham was quite a fan of Andrew Rannells. She had the former star of “The Book of Mormon” appear in multiple episodes of the show’s first two seasons, but his schedule was somewhat-limited both times thanks to his work in NBC’s one-season comedy “The New Normal.”

However, things are a little bit different now for one principal reason: Rannells no longer has that same day job. His schedule is a little more open, which is why Deadline is reporting that he will be back for the third season of the show. Not only that, but he will be promoted to series regular in season 4 in the event that the show is renewed (which it probably will be).

Just in case you have not seen very much of “Girls” over the course of its run, Rannells plays the part of Elijah on the show, the former boyfriend of Hannah’s who is actually gay, and who also stayed with her for a time at the start of season 2. That fell apart when he and Marnie slept together (or at least tried to) on a whim when they were both frustrated, drunk, and depressed. He vanished from the show after that, but this proves that there is still some unfinished business here. This was a great character, one that was at the time very different than his character of Bryan on “The New Normal” that showed just how versatile he was as a comic actor. Dunham clearly has to be thrilled with the opportunity of getting more of him, and now the hope is simply that season 3 will do well enough in the ratings that a renewal comes up afterwards. (We are betting that the presence of a lead-in this year in “True Detective” will help the cause.)

Are you glad to see more Elijah, and what sort of trouble do you want to see him involved with this season? Share below! Also, click here if you want to see a video in which Allison Williams, Dunham, and the rest of the cast talk changes to the new season.

Photo: HBO