The L Word sequel ordered to series for 2019 premiere on Showtime

The 15th anniversary of The L Word, which aired from January 2004 to March 2009, comes with some exciting news: that revival we’ve been hearing about is official.

Showtime gave a sequel series order to the brainchild of co-creators Ilene Chaiken, Kathy Greenberg, and Michele Abbott, the network announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour.

Better still, Showtime’s president of entertainment Gary Levine promised the new batch of eight episodes will arrive before the year’s end.

Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar) will serve as showrunner and will executive produce with Chaiken and original series stars Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig, and Leisha Hailey.

Beals, Moennig, and Hailey will reprise their roles as Bette Porter, Shane McCutcheon, and Alice Pieszecki, respectively, “alongside a new generation of self-possessed LGBTQIA characters experiencing love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks, and success in L.A.,” according to a basic logline.

“Marja has brought her unique and contemporary vision to The L Word and blended it beautifully into the fabric of Ilene’s groundbreaking series,” Levine said. “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.”

Chaiken reunited with her original cast for a June 2017 issue of EW and they were talking up a potential return.

“We talk about it all the time,” Chaiken said. “When we went off the air in 2009, I think a lot of people thought, Okay, the baton is passed now, and there will be lots of shows that portray lesbian life. There’s really nothing. It feels like maybe it should come back.”

Well, we can now officially confirm that it is.

Related content:

• The L Word: Where we left off
• The L Word sequel in the works at Showtime
• The L Word reunion: The cast and co-creator reflect on the groundbreaking series