Throwback Thursday – Pride Edition: The L Word

The trashy sapphic soap that you just can’t stop watching!

Hey Fleshbot fans! On this Throwback Thursday, I’m recalling one of the first groundbreaking TV series to be created by mostly queer women and be openly about lesbians-- The L Word. It aired on Showtime from 2004-2009.

The L Word follows a group of queer women in West Hollywood through all of their romantic, personal, family, and work drama, and with a group as close-knit as these characters, there is bound to be plenty of drama, because everyone is sleeping with everyone’s ex, of course. There’s even a chart on Alice’s wall (reproduced here) that traces the relationship connections between all of the local lesbians, because this is a fascination of hers akin to a sexual Kevin Bacon game.

Out of the core characters, I think I identify the closest with Alice (Leisha Hailey), the bisexual writer. Many viewers love the slutty Shane (Kate Moenning) and loved to hate on Jenny (Mia Kershner.) I enjoy the escapism and diving into the overlapping plot lines and interpersonal drama the same way that soap opera enthusiasts do.

I did say that this was a groundbreaking show. That doesn’t mean it is without flaws. Largely the cast consisted of thin, white, femme people. Even Shane is definitely “Hollywood butch” at best. We are expected to suspend our disbelief and believe that Bette (Jennifer Beals) is half Black. Her character and that of her half-sister Kit (Pam Grier) are largely where POC representation starts and ends when it comes to the main cast on this show, and there are a few non-white recurring characters. The one trans storyline in the later seasons was frankly kind of ridiculous, but overall, the series has a special place in my heart because I watched it as a baby queer and there just were no shows about queer characters on TV.

The L Word spawned a reality show and a documentary film. The L Word: Generation Q was a relaunch of the show in 2019 and included some of the original cast as well as some new and more diverse younger cast including more trans, POC, and disabled representation. I got sucked into it the same as I did the original, but sadly, it only ran for three seasons.

If you’re looking for something dishy and exciting with lots of naked ladies and lady-lovin’, I would check out The L Word for sure. Grab your snacks and drinks because there are six seasons to binge plus Generation Q! If you also like watching some hot fellas getting some action, Queer As Folk is another series that aired on Showtime around the same time as The L Word’s original run, focusing on a group of gay men and one lesbian couple living in Pittsburgh. Both of these series as well as The L Word: Generation Q can be found for streaming on Paramount+ (at press time.) In addition, Queer As Folk’s original series from the UK can be found on Tubi, Pluto, and Freevee, and the short-lived 2022 relaunch can be found on Peacock.