“The L Word” is coming back, but before the sequel to the trailblazing series about a group of lesbians living in West Hollywood premieres on Showtime, the creator behind the original show is weighing in on its impact.
A keynote speech at MIPTV, The International Market for Content Development and Distribution, saw Ilene Chaiken revisiting how “The L Word,” which aired from 2004 to 2009, was initially received. “The first reaction was that reaction of people who have never seen themselves represented and finally are seeing characters who look and feel and behave like them on television. It’s a joy, it’s so affirming,” she recalled, per Screen Daily.
“Up until that moment I’d watched films about straight people and pretended that they were gay or that I was straight or tried to transpose the experience,” Chaiken explained. “There was also the reaction which was ‘That’s not me. I don’t see myself. I’m a different lesbian. Where’s my character?’ There’s a lot of that and it’s really interesting. Still, I enjoy, I welcome it and I think it’s fascinating and challenging and it goes to the point that we’re not a monolithic community.”
Asked about whether it’s easier to get LGBTQ stories made now than it was then, the Emmy winner responded, “It’s easier. but it’s sure not easy. It’s still an uphill battle and a long way to go and a lot of stories that haven’t been told.” She elaborated, “I can’t reel off the statistics but we know that [they] are still grim for women and people of color behind the camera, getting stories told. It’s still predominantly a white, male world and there is a scarcity of stories of marginalized populations being told.”
Chakien revealed that, when first assembling her writers room, she was advised she didn’t need to hire lesbians, and should instead focus on simply getting “good” writers. “I hired some straight guys and gay guys and a little of everything because I wanted to be a good team player. What I found out in the first season of the show was that the only ones who could write the show were lesbians,” she said. “It’s a lesson which I’ve carried ever since which is that when you’re telling stories about a marginalized group of people whose lives have never been portrayed before, the people who tell those stories should be the people who have lived those stories.”
Since “The L Word,” Chaiken has gone on to work on series such as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Empire.” She won an Emmy for the former.
Expected to premiere later this year, Showtime’s “L Word” revival is being led by “6 Balloons” writer-director Marja-Lewis Ryan, who will serve as showrunner. Chaiken told execs she herself wasn’t the right person for the job. She advised that “some lesbian, who also happens to be a gifted television writer, should do it, someone who has some new stories to tell, who knows how the world has changed in ten years and is going to bring back ‘The L Word’ for a new generation of viewers.” She described Ryan, who is also a playwright, as “incredibly gifted.”
