The L Word is a Canadian/American television drama series airing on Global Television Network and Showtime. It portrays the lives of a group of lesbians and their friends and lovers in Los Angeles. The show premiered January 18, 2004.

The show stars Jennifer Beals, Mia Kirshner, Laurel Holloman , Eric Mabius , Karina Lombard , Katherine Moennig, Erin Daniels , Leisha Hailey, and Pam Grier. The show's writers include the show's creator, Ilene Chaiken , as well as Guinevere Turner (Go Fish, American Psycho) and Rose Troche (Go Fish, Six Feet Under). The show's main setting is the trendy L.A. neighborhood of West Hollywood.

Pilot episode

Bette Porter (played by Beals) and Tina Kennard (Holloman) have been a couple for seven years and want to have a child. Their next-door neighbor, Tim (Mabius), is about to form a couple when his girlfriend, Jenny (Kirshner), moves in. Jenny mixes with Bette and Tina's circle of lesbian friends and feels unprepared for what this group in West Hollywood will teach her about lust, love, and life.

Also introduced are

• Marina (played by Lombard), the owner of the trendy neighborhood café which serves as a focal point for the show,
• Shane (Moennig), a hairstylist and serial heart-breaker,
• Dana (Daniels), a professional tennis player who's still in the closet,
• Alice (Hailey), a bisexual journalist, and
• Kit (Grier), Bette's half-sister, a musician and recovering alcoholic.

Trivia

The original code-name for the project was Earthlings, a slang word for lesbians, as in "Is she an earthling; has she been to the planet?" The Planet is the name of the hangout owned by Marina.

The show is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Guest stars on the show include Anne Archer, Rosanna Arquette, Lolita Davidovich, Snoop Dogg, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Kelly Lynch , Helen Shaver, and Lauren Lee Smith.

Though not displayed, each episode's title begins with the letter "L".

External links

• The show's Showtime website (only accessible from the US)
• A story about Earthlings, from Curve magazine
• Review of the pilot from the San Francisco Chronicle
• The L Word Online fan site
• The L word transcripts