“The L Word” Reboot Will Be Called “Generation Q,” Which Probably Stands For “Quasimodo”

Hello I am here to inform you that “The L Word reboot has a name? It is… “Generation Q.” Here’s the press release:

LOS ANGELES – May 22, 2019 – SHOWTIME has announced the official title of its highly anticipated sequel – THE L WORD: GENERATION Q, which will debut this fall on SHOWTIME. Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar, 6 Balloons) serves as showrunner and is executive producing with original series creator Ilene Chaiken and original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. Kristen Campo also serves as executive producer. The series is slated to begin production on eight new episodes in Los Angeles this summer. The pilot is directed by Steph Green who also serves as executive producer on the episode. For a look back at the original series, THE L WORD, go to:https://youtu.be/ZXYWSw2ZSR8.

The groundbreaking drama series originally ran on SHOWTIME from 2004-2009. In this sequel, Beals, Moennig and Hailey will resume their original roles alongside a new generation of diverse, self-possessed LGBTQIA characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A. The series sparked subsequent versions, including the docuseries The Real L Word and L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin.

Also here’s some enticing art. I think I see a tiny Shane:

Other things called “Generation Q” include:

  • A generation dubbed The Quiet Americans by Thomas Friedman, further described as “generation of young people who are idealistic and active in pursuing a better world, but who do not participate in the related political or social discourse that helps form popular opinion or influence elections.”
  • This magazine about Quilting
  • This after-school program for LGBTQ youth in Queens
  • This book about “young gays, lesbians, and bisexuals born around 1969’s Stonewall riots”
  • This TV show about “a group of friends trying to help their perpetually single friend, Elsa, find love.”
  • This camp for “secondary school students who are interested in learning about quantum computing and cryptography.”

This is just to say that it’s a very crowded market and I look forward to seeing how this program will stand out in this very well-occupied media landscape.

Casting calls have already gone out for two trans male roles, one of which is for an Asian-American actor, as well as for a white female character identified as a “late 20s-early 30s former Olympic Swimmer” who is “charming, youthful and sweet.” She’s also supposed to be tall. I am also tall, but not that sweet, so that’s why I didn’t audition.

By the way, did you know that right this minute you could start listening to a podcast called “To L and Back,” in which I, a bonafide L Word expert, have been recapping every episode of the show you love to hate, The L Word, starting with Season One? I’m doing it with my pal Kristin Russo, who is the famous podcaster behind Buffering the Vampire Slayer! It’s has been a real hit so far! It’s a good thing to listen to as you prepare yourself for this show about people who don’t have any facial features. I can’t wait to love/hate it!!!!!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!

Riese

Riese is the 43-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3266 articles for us.

43 Comments

    • The L Word: Making Quiches
      A spin off starring Lara Perkins, the soup chef

    • I have texted all of my friends about how I never knew I wanted a puppet version of the L Word, but I really want a puppet version of the L Word.

      Not a single one agreed with me so I probably need new friends.

    • Ummm, YES! I would be *much* more likely to enjoy the reboot if this were the case.

      Relatedly, I suddenly got an urge to see if L Word / Trek crossover fics are a thing. A quick search of AO3 sadly yields nothing of the sort, though I did find some promising Buffy fics and even an X-Files one! And a Person of Interest one with both Shaw and Carmen!! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/3200063)

      This has been a tiny snapshot of how my headcanons work 😂

      • haha amazing, they’d meet every day for coffee in Ten Forward, and then they’d go to an ACTUAL planet, I am ready for space queers, let us have this

    • The L Word: Learning Quickbooks
      In which Shane trains for a career in accounting

  4. “I am also tall, but not that sweet, so that’s why I didn’t audition.” LOL.

    Also omg this poster art… who… did that…. ahhhhhhhhhhhh

  5. From top to bottom that’s Alice, Bette and Shane on the left hand side, right?

  8. I like the name because it works with letter theme. I wonder if every episode will start with a Q-word.

    These are my predictions for the episodes:
    Q-Pilot
    Quill
    Quick
    Quiet
    Quitter
    Quintessential
    Quake

  9. …but does the swimmer have Nice Hands ?

    Generation Q… we’re going to have fun with this in French… it being slang for “ass” and also for “sex” !

    Bring it on, I say !

  10. To point out the obvious, there’s way fewer words in English that start with Q compared to words that start with L. I hope they aren’t anticipating a short-lived series!

  12. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could recap the quantum computing camp because I’m interested in that.

    Alternatively, if you can get a quantum leap reference into an L Word recap that would probably suffice.

  13. Clearly I’m the only one who doesn’t hate the name? But I agree with Sarah on the art…

  14. With the number of amazing queer artists around now they can actually have a good theme song.

    I vote for Chris – Christine and the Queens.

  17. Okay, I clearly have trash taste cuz I like the name and the poster art AND I liked the original Betty song. Trash okay!

  18. I don’t care for this mocking I’m seeing in the article and in the comments about the new name. The Q includes queer women like me in a way the L doesn’t. I applaud the show for becoming more inclusive. Y’all, I thought Autostraddle was supposed to be the one entertainment website where I could feel safe. I’m sad y’all are excluding

    • I guess Autostraddle signing that Not In Our Name statement of support for the trans community was all talk and no walk. At least as it pertains specifically to this article. I’m sad y’all. Real sad

    • Seems clear they were making fun of it on the basis of it not being a very creative choice (which is true) rather than trying to reject inclusion. There are other ways of working “queer” into a subtitle.

  20. Clearly this is a shoutout to Harry Potter fans:

    Q = QUIDDITCH
    (lesbians on brooms…what can go wrong?)

    Also bonus points for the use of “quaffle” in any episode.

Comments are closed.