'The L Word: Generation Q': Showtime Releases First Teaser for Sequel Series

Showtime released the first teaser for The L Word: Generation Q, the long-awaited sequel to the original groundbreaking series. The new series will include members of the original cast, mixed with a new generation of characters trying to navigate their lives in Los Angeles. The first series ran on Showtime from 2004 to 2009.

The L Word was created by Ilene Chaiken with Michele Abbot and Kathy Greenberg. Marja-Lewis Ryan, who wrote the award-winning film The Four-Faced Liar, is serving as showrunner, reports Entertainment Tonight.

Jennifer Beals is returning as Bette Porter, along with Leisha Hailey as Alice Pieszecki and Katherine Moennig as Shane McCutcheon. The new cast features Arienne Mandi as Dani Nunez, Leo Sheng as Micah Lee, Jacqueline Toboni as Finley, Rosanny Zayas as Sophie Suarez and Sepideh Moafi as Gigi.

"Marja has brought her unique and contemporary vision to The L Word and blended it beautifully into the fabric of Ilene's groundbreaking series," Gary Levine, President of Entertainment at Showtime Networks, said in a statement in January when the new show was announced. "This revered show was both entertaining and impactful when it originally ran on Showtime, and we are confident that our new version will do that and more in 2019."

Earlier this month, during the Television Critics Association Press Tour, the returning cast and crew talked about how the new show will reflect the changes in how gender identity and sexuality is looked at 10 years after the original show ended.

"What I think what's interesting about this show is that we've extended the discussion of sexuality and gender identity," Beals said, reports USA Today. "When we started the show, 'non-binary' was a mathematical term ... now we're able to talk about (it)."

The new series will also feature Leo Sheng, a trans actor who plays a trans character. Other trans actors were cast to play cisgender characters.

"We have had long conversations about (lesbians and trans people) and we are very plugged into the conversations that are coming out of the divide," Ryan explained in August. "I strongly stand on the side of inclusivity ... we don't have enough teammates to play a full game if we're not all on the team. We are (also) exploring trans lesbians."

The L Word has been criticized in the LGBT community in the years since it ended, and Ryan said she is aware of the critiques.

"I am right there with the things that people are saying," she said. "All we can do is do better. The time-specific decisions of the original are not the decisions I'm making right now. ... We're making something that is of now, and for now."

The L Word: Generation Q will debut on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, on Showtime.

Photo credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SHOWTIME