![]() ![]() ![]() Tim is eagerly awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend Jenny (Mia Kirshner), a writer moving out from the Midwest. Their next-door neighbor is Tim (Eric Mabius), a straight, open-minded, nice guy who (other than the ridiculous idea of having him drive a "muscle car") is a welcome creation in the realm of gay-straight characterizations. The friendships are the core of the series, and the neighborhood - Los Angeles' trendy gay area - serves as their safe zone.Īlthough "The L Word" is an ensemble, with all kinds of characters getting fresh, interesting story lines, the main players are Bette (Jennifer Beals) and Tina (Laurel Holloman), a couple together for seven years who are now trying to have a baby. Imagine a lesbian "Friends," only smarter and better-looking. What Chaiken has done with "The L Word" is take a variety of hot-button lesbian issues and spread them out over a web of characters who are connected generally to West Hollywood and specifically to a hip cafe there. "The L Word" has its work cut out to keep the viewers who tune in for titillation, and build - both in gay and straight audience - an allegiance to a complex set of characters introduced in the 95-minute pilot, then fleshed out in a series of ever-improving one-hour episodes. So, yes, the rampant nudity and omnipresent lesbian sex scenes should be enough to stir interest all around.īut good for "The L Word." It's hard enough to launch a show, much less on Showtime, where original programming always seems to take a critical and audience-anticipation backseat to HBO. "Queer As Folk" enjoyed free- flowing ink in newspapers and magazines when it first came out, not only for its gay content, but for its aggressive view of sexuality that showed no fear of censorship or certainly, prudishness. (If it were a network show, it would have been the brainchild of five straight males looking to capitalize on a trend.)Īnd then there's the sex-sells angle. ![]() It helps, naturally, that this is Chaiken's baby and she's a lesbian. "The L Word" is a series that should not only attract that audience but, more important, not repel them with stupidity or gross characterizations. Lesbians, despite Hollywood's fascination with them, really haven't had much to call their own. "The L Word" should have little trouble doing that. Still, Showtime is promoting the series in a fashion that leaves little doubt that its ad department wants to link "The L Word" stylistically to HBO's "Sex and the City." It's not a very wise move primarily because there's no obvious connection other than one is a hit comedy that's leaving the air while the other is a fledgling drama in need of viewers.īut such is life in television - sometimes you've got to cut through the crap to even get noticed. While that may be the case, it takes nothing away from the fact that Showtime has allowed a creator, Ilene Chaiken, to bring to the small screen her vision of an expansive lesbian community in Los Angeles - a feat she pulls off with only a few fits and starts. After all, this is a high-profile "lesbian drama" from a channel that already has a high-profile gay male drama in "Queer As Folk." That means "The L Word" could be seen as Showtime's further exploration of niche dramas (it has an African American series in "Soul Food" and had a Latino drama in "Resurrection Blvd.," which led at the time to assumptions the channel, in keeping with its "No Limits" slogan, was merely offering up programs no one else was doing and therefore making a cottage industry out of being different). All new television shows fight comparison, and some wage other battles fair or unfair depending on what network they're on, who created the show and when it airs.īut Showtime's ambitious and superb new offering, "The L Word," may have more clutter to get through than most before an honest assessment can occur.
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