Whedon has been said to be the world's first third-generation television writer. His father is Tom Whedon, a writer for "The Electric Company" in the 1970s and "The Golden Girls" in the 1980s. His grandfather is John Whedon, a writer for "The Donna Reed Show" in the 1950s. His brother, Zack Whedon, is a writer on HBO's "Deadwood".