Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
LGBTQ+ classic gets a solid reboot; has sex and drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The L Word: Generation Q
What's the Story?
THE L WORD: GENERATION Q picks up 10 years after landmark TV show The L Word finished, with a group of the original characters still living in Los Angeles. Bette (Jennifer Beals) is now a single mom raising rebellious teen Angie (Jordan Hull) and running for mayor. Alice (Leisha Hailey) is a talk show host who's involved with Nat (Stephanie Allynne), a mom with two kids and a lot of complications. And Shane (Katherine Moennig) has just returned to town after her marriage flamed out, not sure what to do next. Connected to these three women in all kinds of complicated ways are Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), a recent transplant from the Midwest, and her roommates Micah (Leo Sheng), a trans man and college professor; Alice's show's producer, Sophie (Rosanny Zayas); and Sophie's fiancé, Dani (Arienne Mandi).
Is It Any Good?
This revamp of the beloved 2000-era series scores by injecting some seriousness and broader LGBTQ+ representation into the frothy soap opera plotlines that characterized the original. The old-school trio of Shane, Bette, and Alice are all played by actors in their 40s and 50s in The L-Word: Generation Q, so it makes sense that instead of solely searching for romance and adventure, they're now settled down into less playful pursuits: Bette's bid for mayor, Alice's parent problems, and Shane's wreck of a personal life.
The show also introduces a fresh young quartet of queer folk, the nest of roommates who work in different ways for Bette (who hires Dani as her PR consult after Dani flees her family's morally compromised investment firm) and Alice (who employs both Sophie and Finley). Generation Q merges the two generations with a bang, but other times, it feels like the show is trying to have it both ways: meet-cutes and hookups and heavy plotlines about commitment and family. It largely succeeds, thanks to appealing actors and good writing with a lived-in queer sensibility. Jokes about Roxane Gay, #MeToo, and the time-honored association between lesbians and power tools land solidly, and though today's crop of LGBTQ+ viewers aren't quite as starved for lesbian stories as they were in 2004, Generation Q does an entertaining, if imperfect, job of delivery.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why The L-Word got a revamp. Why was the timing right, 10 years after the original finished? What aspects of the original show haven't aged well and potentially needed to be addressed? How is The L Word: Generation Q similar to or different from other shows that have gotten a second life?
Typically, reboots bring back some of the actors from the original while adding new ones. Why? What's the appeal of each? Who do you think Generation Q is aimed at? What might be some of the challenges of finding the right balance?
TV shows about queer women are more common than they were in 2004, when The L Word first aired. What are some that you've enjoyed recently?
TV Details
- Premiere date : December 8, 2019
- Cast : Jennifer Beals , Leisha Hailey , Katherine Moennig
- Network : Showtime
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Friendship
- TV rating :
- Award : Emmy - Emmy Award Nominee
- Last updated : January 28, 2026
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