How The L Word: Generation Q is different from the original
“The show introduces all these new characters, a new generation,” Beals told Forbes, “and what’s exciting about that new generation is the way they so boldly and unapologetically present themselves and their identity.”
Speaking about this new generation of cast members, she said: “They don’t allow other people to define who they are, so we get to tell those kinds of stories within the show.”
Of all the cast members from the original L Word, Bette is probably the one who has seen the most change in the last decade. In Generation Q, she is running to be Mayor of Los Angeles, and has a younger lover in the form of Dani Nunez (new cast member Arienne Mandi). The reboot also sees Alice hosting a gay-themed talk show, while Shane is rich and successful after selling her haircare business, and is newly returning to LA.
Alongside Mandi is a whole generation of younger LGBTQ+ individuals, who live in Silver Lake—a change from the original show which was set in West Hollywood.
These characters include Sarah (Jacqueline Toboni), who struggles to reconcile her religious upbringing with her sexuality, TV producer Sophie (Rosanny Zayas) and realtor Gigi (Sepideh Zayas). With a decade passed since The L Word, Bette’s daughter Angelica, who she had with ex-lover Tina (Laurel Holloman), is all grown up and is now played by Jordan Hull.
Among the cast of Generation Q are two transmen in major roles, with Leo Sheng playing professor Micha Lee and Brian Michael Smith as Bette’s assistant Pierce. According to Beals, who is now an executive producer on the series, this was a deliberate attempt to address one of the most controversial elements of the original series—trans character Max, as played by cisgendered woman Daniela Sea.
Speaking to Vulture, Beals said of this, “I think the most important thing is that we make sure to have trans actors playing trans characters.
“You learn from possible mistakes, you try to correct those mistakes, and you realize that the ground is shifting between us and beneath us. What’s exciting is this new generation is refusing to be identified by anyone other than themselves. We have to figure out, ‘How do we enter into that conversation and honor that change in the midst of this tumult of language?’ Perhaps we’ll again do it imperfectly, but I think we’ll come much, much closer.”
Speaking to TVGuide, Sheng said that he was, “really excited to explore what it’s like to be a trans person who loves somebody, who grows close to people, and what that looks like.”
As for another controversial element of the original show, the show will all but ignore Season 6, a murder mystery that asked who killed Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirschner). Though the events of the season have still happened in Generation Q, meaning that Jenny is still dead. Speaking to Vulture, Beals said of this, “We want to rewrite history, but we can’t.” However, those hoping to finally find out who killed the character in Generation Q may be disappointed.
The L Word: Generation Q starts on Sunday, December 8 on Showtime
