In 2004, Showtime debuted the provocative drama The L Word. Following the lives and loves of a group of friends, predominately lesbians and bisexuals, living in Los Angeles, the series examined all manner of relationship issues throughout its six seasons, ending in 2009. Now, in our current world of rebooting past series it’s time for The L Word to receive its next iteration with a much-needed infusion of Latina characters.
The L Word: Generation Q will pick up ten years after the events of the original show, with Jennifer Beals reprising her role as Bette Porter, now running for Mayor of Los Angeles. The trailer has a spunky, fun feel indicative of the tone the eight-episode series seems to be going for. The group has relocated to L.A. neighborhood Silver Lake, where the neighbors across the way are sexier and people have the free time to dance with each other randomly.
Previous cast members Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey are also returning, with newcomers like Arienne Mandi playing ambitious PR executive Dani Nuñez and her girlfriend, a television producer named Sophie Suarez played by Rosanny Zayas. Not much can be derived from the trailer, though it’s mentioned that Dani has some issues with her girlfriend as she’s avoiding proposing to her. Considering her job, it’s also implied that she’ll be working closely with Beals’ Bette on her mayoral campaign.
Behind the camera there are two Latina writers for the new series, an improvement on the previous series which discernibly didn’t have any. Colombian screenwriter Tatiana Suarez-Pico has written for similar ensemble dramas like Parenthood, as well as the FX series Snowfall and Netflix’s Iron Fist. While Salvadoran-American Nancy Mejía was a staff writer for Starz’s Latinx series Vida. It’ll be intriguing to see how their expertise will translate to characters like Dani and Sophie.
The L Word: Generation Q premieres December 8, 2019, at 10 p.m. on Showtime.