The L Word sequel has been ordered to series by Showtime. If you need a little refresher, The L Word is a “lesbian” drama from 2004 created by Ilene Chaiken, Michele Abbot, and Kathy Greenberg. This LGBTQIA show follows the lives and loves of a small, close-knit group of gay women living in Los Angeles. The series first takes us through the world of all these women through the character Jenny (Mia Kirshner), a “sexually fluid” writer who moves to the city to live with her boyfriend. After befriending her neighbors, Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman), she messily stubbles on a quest to understand her sexuality and identity. She was also, perhaps, the least likable character on the show by the end of the first season.
Other stars include Leisha Hailey (Alice), Katherine Moennig (Shane), Pam Grier (Kit), Rachel Shelley (Helena), Daniela Sea (Max), and Erin Daniels (Dana). Jane Lynch, Holland Taylor, Alan Cumming, Rosanna Arquette, Sandrine Holt, and Heather Matarazzo made appearances as well. You can check out the trailer for season 3 below.
The sequel was announced by Showtime on Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour. They revealed that they are moving forward with the revival of the lesbian-focused drama with an eight-episode series order.
Playwright and screenwriter Marja-Lewis Ryan will serve as showrunner and executive produce alongside original series creator Ilene Chaiken. Jennifer Beals (Bette), Katherine Moennig (Shane), and Leisha Hailey (Alice) will be reprising their roles as well as executive produce, “alongside a new generation of self-possessed LGBTQIA characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A.” Lewis-Ryan was selected following an extensive search for a writer with ties to the LGBTQIA community to document how relationships, lives, and experiences have evolved- as well as what has and hasn’t changed since the show launched in January of 2004. Other characters from the original are hopeful for appearances as well.
Showtime president Gary Levine said in a statement, “This revered show was both entertaining and impactful when it originally ran on Showtime, and we are confident that our new version will do that and more in 2019.”
Like any show, though, it had its bumps, which is evident to most likely every viewer of the series. However, even today, both shows continue to be hailed for their realistic portrayal of the communities, especially considering its time.
Series creator Ilene Chaiken and programming president Gary Levine shared their thoughts with The Hollywood Reporter about the revival. “The new L Word will definitely deal with the new fluidity of sexuality; the gender differences in question. That’s not coming from me but everyone who comes in has a completely new canvas that absolutely speaks to the state of the world today and the younger generation. I have no doubt it will be incredibly relevant,” Gary Levine said in a statement. “We’re going to redefine The L Word with a new cast of characters but several of the originals will definitely be integral parts of it. It’s a generational thing and we’ll have both generations represented.” Chaiken added, “We’ve all learned a lot since then. We’ve been enlightened and the new version of the show will reflect how much more enlightened we are.”
The sequel/revival is expected to be out by the end of this year (2019). Meanwhile, you can watch all six seasons of The L Word on Showtime, Netflix, and Hulu.