‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Is The Reboot We Desperately Needed

Make no mistake, The L Word: Generation Q is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. The Showtime revival, which premiered earlier this month, has in just a few episodes managed to cover more ground than several seasons of the original, from the opioid epidemic to same-sex parenting to period sex. It’s less showy and overblown than The L Word as well, instead opting for quieter (and therefore more powerful) storytelling over its bombastic, soap opera-esque beginnings. This is a good thing, but frankly, even if Generation Q was the worst show on TV, it would still be worth tuning into week after week.

The truth of the matter is that the LGBTQ+ community is starved for content. In 2018, there as a record high of 433 regular and recurring LGBTQ+ characters on TV, which is certainly a marked improvement from 2017’s record of 329. However, while this increased inclusion is a step in the right direction, there’s not much in the way of shows created for and by non-straight/cisgender people. The L Word was one such show, and even when the original series went wildly off the rails, many still mourned its ending since it was one of the only representations — and certainly the only exclusive one — of lesbian life on our screens.

That’s not to say that the original didn’t get many things wrong. From its poor handling of trans issues with Max’s storyline and mental health with Jenny to its instances of biphobia and its dogged embrace of some pretty terrible stereotypes, The L Word was at times utterly cringeworthy. And yet, it was also a wonderful example of unapologetic lesbians living fabulous if not slightly unrealistically glamorous lives and looking out for their friends. That alone made it monumentally important and incredibly memorable.

Nine years later, Generation Q seems intent on righting many of the original’s wrongs. For one, there’s an Asian trans character named Micah (Leo Sheng) in the main cast as well as a committed Latina lesbian couple in Sophie (Rosanny Zayas) and Dani (Arienne Mandi) who are happily and madly in love. Finley (Jacqueline Tobani) is goofy, awkward, and supremely insecure and uncertain around women, presenting a pretty stark contrast to pretty much everyone around her, including legendary playboy Shane (Katherine Moennig).

Speaking of Shane, she and the other two originals, Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Alice (Leisha Hailey) have also done some much-needed growing up in the past decade. Alice is in a relationship with a mom of two and is learning to navigate the rocky waters of parenthood with varying levels of success, while Bette is running to be the first openly lesbian mayor of Los Angeles while serving as the primary guardian of her now 16-year-old daughter Angie. Even Shane has suddenly gained extreme emotional depth, darkly agonizing over her soon-to-be ex-wife Quiara and something that happened between them that the audience isn’t privy to just yet. Sure, she’s still getting laid pretty regularly, but her heart’s just not in it. Suddenly, Shane has more going on.

These basic character sketches alone make Generation Q much more interesting, engaging, and timely than the original and prove that the reboot is headed in the right direction. That’s not to say that it’s perfect. There’s still a marked lack of LGBTQ+ people who aren’t stick thin, for one, or who aren’t highly polished and incredibly rich. (Even Finley, who works as a PA for Alice’s talk show and apparently lives with five other people in a one-bedroom apartment, doesn’t seem to be struggling that much.) Then again, we’re not even halfway into the first season yet, so some slack should probably be cut here.

What’s great about Generation Q is that sexuality is even less of an issue than in the first series. Thus far at least, no one is questioning their identity in ways that most shows and movies portraying LGBTQ+ characters tend to believe happens 24/7. Perhaps contrary to pop culture’s widely held belief, not all lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or queer people have a sense of self-loathing or even uncertainly around their identities. In fact, most of us can likely name a million other things about ourselves and our lives that we think about more often and consider a bigger part of us.

In Generation Q, that’s made incredibly clear. Sure, everyone has issues, but they’re not about what parts they have below the belt or who they’re getting into bed with at night. Instead, they’re the things everyone can relate to: the trials of parenting, the fear of screwing things up, the sadness of a failed relationship, etc. Thankfully, the friendship groups that were so central to The L Word are still a central focus here as well, anchoring what could potentially become a somewhat flighty and abstract series into an incredibly realistic and heartening one.

Generation Q still has a lot to prove, but the first several episodes bode well for the future. That over-the-top storytelling that sometimes left the original series feeling somewhat empty has gone, and in its place has come a more mature, measured approach that serves its characters well. Here’s hoping it continues on this path.

Jennifer Still is a writer and editor from New York who cares too way much about fictional characters and spends her time writing about them.

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