The cast from the l word

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1. ^ Brown, Tracy (December 6, 2019). «Commentary: Why ‘The L Word’ was must-see lesbian TV — and the reboot doesn’t need to be». Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Higgins, Bill (December 15, 2019). «Hollywood Flashback: ‘L Word’ Was a Groundbreaking Take on Gay Women’s Lives». The Hollywoood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
3. ^ ^{a b} Salam, Maya (November 29, 2019). «The Very (Very) Slow Rise of Lesbianism on TV». The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
4. ^ ^{a b} Hoeffner, Melissa Kravitz (November 29, 2019). «‘The L Word’ Is Back With Sex, Glamour and a Wider Lens». The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
5. ^ ^{a b} Hashemi, Sarah (December 6, 2019). «‘The L Word’ changed television. Its reboot speaks to a new generation». The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
6. ^ ^{a b} Nicholson, Rebecca (December 2, 2019). «The return of The L Word: the groundbreaking lesbian show is back». The Guardian. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
7. ^ ^{a b} Loh, Stefanie (December 6, 2019). «‘The L Word’ was groundbreaking in the canon of LGBTQ media. Here’s why its reboot, ‘Generation Q,’ is relevant today». The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
8. ^ ^{a b} Bahr, Robyn (December 5, 2019). «‘The L Word: Generation Q’: TV Review». The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
9. ^ ^{a b} Patton, Elaina (August 6, 2021). «‘The L Word: Generation Q’ cast is caught between marriage and monogamy in Season 2″. NBC News. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
10. ^ ^{a b c} Baker, Sarah; Rutherford, Amanda (2020). «Upgrading The L Word: Generation Q». M/C Journal. 23 (6). ISSN 1441-2616.
11. ^ Amy Cavanaugh, «An interview with Ilene Chaiken» Archived 2009-03-14 at the Wayback Machine, Washington Blade, 2009-03-09.
12. ^ Bailey, Lucille M. (1995). «Still More on «X-Word»«. American Speech. Duke University Press. 70 (2): 222–223. doi:10.2307/455820. JSTOR 455820.
13. ^ Schenden, Laurie K. «Folk Like Us». Curve Magazine. Archived from the original on May 6, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
14. ^ Elizabeth Jensen, «‘The L Word’ Spins Off Its Chart», The New York Times, 2006-12-18.
15. ^ Pete Cashmore, «OurChart.com – The L-Word Launching Lesbian Social Network», Mashable, 2006-12-18.
16. ^ Ilene Chaiken, «A New Year A New OurChart». (Archived June 29, 2009, at the Portuguese Web Archive.) Showtime.
17. ^ m (2005-02-27). «Lap Dance». Showtime. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
18. ^ «Lifesize». Showtime. 2006-02-12. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-01-25.
19. ^ «Losing the light». Showtime. 2006-03-12. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-01-25.
20. ^ Hibberd, James (December 5, 2005), «Lights! Camera! ‘L Word’ Action!». Television Week. 24 (49):4
21. ^ (December 5, 2005), «At Deadline».MediaWeek. 15 (44):3
22. ^ «More Love! More Lust! More Longing! Showtime’s The L Word Returns for a fourth Season». Showtime. 2006-02-02. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
23. ^ «Film List: Television series in production in BC». British Columbia Film Commission. 2006-08-29. Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
24. ^ «Next On The L Word«. Starbrand.tv. Archived from the original on 2006-06-27. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
25. ^ «Marlee Matlin Joins Cast of Showtime’s Hit Series The L Word». Showtime. 2006-05-01. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
26. ^ ^{a b} «The L Word «Sheperds» in a New Cast Member». Showtime. 2006-06-06. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
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28. ^ «News». P Papi World. 2006-06-14. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
29. ^ «Five Times the Love! Lust! Laughs! Longing! SHOWTIME’s THE L WORD(R) Returns for a Fifth Season» (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11.
30. ^ Adalian, Josef (2007-03-08). «Showtime loyal to ‘L Word’«. Variety.
31. ^ «OurChart. You’re On It». OurChart. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
32. ^ «Showtime will have last ‘Word’«.^{[dead link]}
33. ^ Exclusive: Elizabeth Berkley Utters ‘The L Word’ EW.com Jul 22, 2008 by Michael Ausiello
34. ^ «Showtime : The L Word : Home». Sho.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
35. ^ Executive Producer Ilene Chaiken and The Cast Comment on different Theories about Jenny’s death on YouTube. Originally aired Dec. 18, 2008.
36. ^ ^{a b} Goldberg, Lesley (July 11, 2017). «‘The L Word’ Sequel in the Works at Showtime». The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
37. ^ Otterson, Joe (2017-11-20). «‘The L Word’ Sequel Series Taps Marja-Lewis Ryan as Showrunner». Variety. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
38. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2017-11-20). «‘The L Word’ Sequel Taps Marja-Lewis Ryan As Showrunner At Showtime». Deadline. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
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40. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (January 31, 2019). «The L Word Revival Officially Snags Eight-Episode Order at Showtime». TVLine.
41. ^ «‘The L Word’ Sequel Gets Official Title, Set For Fall Premiere On Showtime». Deadline Hollywood, May 22, 2019
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43. ^ Annie Barrett (2009-04-03). «Showtime passes on L Word spinoff (whew!) and Matthew Perry series (sniff!)». Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
44. ^ Rudolph, Ileane (18 June 2010). «The L Word Franchise Keeps It Real with New Series». TV Guide. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
45. ^ Thomas, June (8 August 2014). «L Word Mississippi: Hate the Sin, a Great Documentary With a Terrible Title». Slate. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
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48. ^ Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, «Foreword: The Letter L.» Reading the L Word, edited by Kim Akass and Janet McCabe. London: I. B. Tauris (2006): xix
49. ^ Dana Heller, «How Does a Lesbian Look? Stendhal’s Syndrome and the L Word.» Reading the L Word, edited by Kim Akass and Janet McCabe. London: I. B. Tauris (2006): 57
50. ^ Samuel A. Chambers, «Heteronormativity and The L Word: From Politics of Representation to a Politics of Norms» Reading the L Word, edited by Kim Akass and Janet McCabe. London: I. B. Tauris (2006): 91
51. ^ Margaret McFadden, «»We cannot afford to keep being so high-minded»: Fighting the Religious Right on The L Word» The New Queer Aesthetic on Television: Essays on Recent Programming, edited by James R. Keller and Leslie Stratyner. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (2006): 125
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The L Word.

Jennifer Beals (Bette Porter)

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Leisha Hailey (Alice Pieszecki)

Mia Kirshner (Jenny Schecter)

Katherine Moennig (Shane McCutcheon)

Erin Daniels (Dana Fairbanks)

Sarah Shahi (Carmen de la Pica Morales)

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Daniel Sea (Max Sweeney)

Ilene Chaiken (Co-creator, writer, and executive producer of The L Word)

The L Word reunites

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Played By: Mia Kirshner

• Author Avatar: Loosely based on one of the show’s creators-who Ilene Chaiken got kicked off later. She also creates herself an enervate, Jessie, in the Show Within a Show, Lez Girls.
• Betty and Veronica: She is the Archie to Marina’s Veronica and Tim’s Betty in season 1, and to Claude’s Veronica and Max’s Betty near the end of season 4.

• Brutally Honest: With her friends, not her sexual or romantic partners.
• Chewing the Scenery: From season 3 onward. Part of the reason fans really started hating her.
• Coming-Out Story: Her arc in season 1.
• Dark and Troubled Past: She was always a bit off, but it doesn’t get explained in detail until season 2. She was gang-raped by boys as a kid, and her parents chose to ignore it instead of helping her, allowing it to «fester into this psychosis» as she puts it. She makes the best of it later though-her autobiographical book about it puts her into the spotlight that allows her to write a serialized novel, Lez Girls, and make it into a movie.
• Driven to Suicide: Generation Q reveals that she actually died from suicide.
• Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Pale, dark-haired, and melancholic. It’s particularly noticeable in season 2, when her hair is short and spare, and her eye makeup is darker and more dramatic, emphasizing her waifish looks.
• Face�Heel Turn: A less dramatic variation in seasons 4-6. She doesn’t betray anyone, per se, but she does become more impulsive and self-centered, leaning towards The Friend Nobody Likes.
• Fish out of Water: In LA in seasons 1 and 2. She gets over it.
• Freudian Excuse: Jenny herself believes her rape as a child made her into the «dysfunction liar» (her words) she becomes later, given her repressed trauma over it.
• The Gadfly: She loves bringing up inappropriate topics to shock the conservative and stuffy. Best displayed when Max tries to take her to a posh company dinner in season 3.

  Corporate Executive: My wife zones out when I talk shop too, Jenny.
  The Mrs.: I do; I think about golfing, I think about my manicure, I think about my kids…
  Jenny: I was just thinking about how when I was a kid, I used to masturbate like twenty times a day and I’m writing a story about it, but I don’t know if it should be straight-up fiction or like, a New Yorker-style essay piece. I just don’t know.
• Important Haircut: Gets one in season 2, because Long Hair Is Feminine and she wants to show up on the Gaydar.
• Informed Judaism: She’s established to be Jewish, though this doesn’t come up that much or ever affect her character. It appears she’s only culturally or ethnically Jewish, with Jenny not practicing Judaism that we see, though flashbacks from her past indicate her family may have been Orthodox. The most notable mention is the fact that her grandmother survived the Holocaust in Europe.

• Manipulative Bitch: Jenny starts becoming this in Season 5, starting by seducing the girlfriend of a reporter who’d trashed her memoir to prove she’s not really so saintly as made out. To this end, she does things such as get an old dog to garner sympathy from the woman (a vet) as he needs euthanasia, and tricks the reporter off on a fake interview.

• Rape as Backstory: It turns out that Jenny had been gang raped by older boys, which is most of what’s learned about her past, since this affected her so much.

Played By: Jennifer Beals

• The Ace: Beautiful, smart, self-made wealthy, sophisticated, charismatic, athletic… Then her relationship with Tina ends and she loses it completely.
• All Lesbians Want Kids : Part of her Establishing Character Moment in the pilot.
• Amicable Exes:
  • She eventually gets there with Tina, after things get really really ugly.
  • She and Alice also count, as they had a fling before Bette met Tina.
• Berserk Button: How dare you bring up my stillborn baby, You Monster!.
• Brainy Brunette: Very intellectual, well-read and sophisticated brunette.
• But Not Too Black: She’s been blamed for invoking this trope using her biracial background, though she embraces her blackness (even specifically getting an African-American donor to impregnate her partner so their baby would reflect them both).
• Deadpan Snarker: So much so.
• The Determinator: It doesn’t always work out, but she always puts up a fight. Her reaction to the controversy over Provocations in the first season establishes her pretty well.
• Double Standard: Rape, Female on Female: After Tina catches her cheating with Candace, she initiates intercourse with Tina, who protests several times at first. This is never brought up again and never called out for being rape.
• The Fashionista: An interesting take on the trope. She isn’t exactly girly, but she has a thing for expensive snappy power suits and sharp heels.

  Jodi: You’re always so clean. I can’t imagine you ever getting dirty.

• Granola Girl: In her Buddhist phase.
• Hippie Parents: She and Tina are this to Angelica.
• Hot Teacher: While teaching at the university, to Indiana Jones levels.
• Modesty Bedsheet: Alone of the main cast, Bette covers her breasts with a sheet post coitus, as a result of Jennifer Beals’ apparent refusal to show hers (Bette’s never seen topless in the show or Generation Q, the Sequel Series).

• Parental Abandonment: Bette’s mother left while she was a girl, and her father dies from cancer in Season 2 (even prior they were estranged over her sexual orientation).
• Soapbox Sadie: She flirts with this trope every now and then, especially when it comes to freedom of speech. Do NOT challenge her convictions about art.

• «Well Done, Daughter!» Girl: Her father’s opinions are very important to her. However, her being lesbian gets in the way a bit. Kit tries to help her understand that he’s a bigot in his own right and striving for his perfect approval is a hopeless quest, but she never entirely stops.
• Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: In-Universe. Tina lampshades it herself — why would she ever get together with Bette? But she does.

Played By: Laurel Holloman

• All Lesbians Want Kids: Part of her Establishing Character Moment in the pilot. However, it’s a bigger part of her character, especially in early seasons than Bette’s.
• Amicable Exes: She eventually gets there with Bette, after things get really really ugly.

• Ethical Slut: For a short while after ending things with Bette. Must have gotten it from Helena…
• Has a Type: Tall, dark, bossy, snarky and handsome.
• Hippie Parents: She and Bette are this to Angelica.
• Holier Than Thou: She gives everyone shit about cheating, then she hooks up with Bette in all sorts of inappropriate occasions, including when Bette is with Jodi.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Helps Bette get Jodi back, when she still has feelings for Bette herself.

• Soapbox Sadie: More so than Bette-but although she goes there often, she doesn’t really play it straight either.

Played By: Leisha Hailey

• Beware the Nice Ones: She gets personal fast in a fight.

• Cannot Keep a Secret: Comes with being a Gossipy Hen.

• The Cutie: She is very sweet and quirky.
• Deadpan Snarker: Bordering on Snark Knight at times.
• Intrepid Reporter: She’s something of a politically minded gay Carrie Bradshaw.

• Plucky Girl: She eventually takes all things in a stride.

• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: An inverted trope, since it involves two women in a relationship. Alice is the energetic girl to Tasha’s savvy girl.

• Tomboy and Girly Girl: With Tasha the Shell-Shocked Veteran.
• Token Minority: For most of the series, Alice is the sole bisexual, which gets her some flack from lesbians.

Played By: Katherine Moennig

• Bifauxnen: Shane has very short, loose hair, wearing boyish clothes with a masculine attitude and husky tone of voice. When she worked as a prostitute, her clients were gay men (Shane didn’t engage in anal sex or undress, so they wouldn’t notice). Even in the present she’s mistaken for male and seen as a hot young man by some gay guys while visiting a gay bar along with a friend (she has to correct them because they can’t tell).

• The Casanova: Shane goes through many women during the series and only briefly is with a woman longer than casual sex.

• Contralto of Danger: Shane, the most masculine of the main lesbians, has a low and husky voice.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Shane’s dark past is not focused on as much, but is still mentioned. In Seasons 1-2, we learn that she was once forced to work as a (pretending-to-be-male) prostitute, that she was essentially abandoned by her parents, has various drug addictions, etc. These events are strongly implied to be the reason she is such a loyal friend, but terrible with relationships/commitment — she feels the need to please others, is satisfied with very little for herself, but is afraid to commit to anyone or anything. The later seasons continue to add heartbreaking details — Shane is thrilled to simply have her own, tiny little room because she’s apparently never had her own before. (In Season 6, Jenny, of course, promptly converts Shane’s room into a study one day when Shane is out, assuming that since they’re now sleeping together, she’ll just move into Jenny’s room with her!)

• Even the Girls Want Her: Shane has some sort of power to make all straight women Spaghetti Girls.◊

• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Alice. Despite her proclivity for fucking up relationships, she is an unswerving friend. Though obviously, the «heterosexual» part doesn’t apply here.
• Indifferent Beauty: She knows how she affects women, but she is hardly vain. However, she does have nipple confidence!
• In the Blood: Her father is a serial womanizer, though he uses women and lies to them, and Shane mostly just Really Gets Around.
• Intimate Marks: Shane’s got a tattoo at the base of her spine, as shown when she’s topless a couple times.

• Messy Hair: Somewhat subverted, as it is a stylistic choice — a desirable one at that too. However, it does reflect her general IDGAF attitude.

• Parental Substitute: Shane is thrust into parenthood as her little brother Shay, whom she’s just met, gets dumped in her care by his mother. However, she ends up loving this and says it’s the best thing she’s ever had in her life.
• The Pornomancer: Shane rarely has to do anything with seducing women. Just being around tends to attract them, even when the women were seemingly straight.

• Runaway Bride: Ditches Carmen at the altar, which she comes to regret.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Shane actually looks very nice wearing a dress and with her hair down, though it was only for going to Carmen’s cousin’s quinceañera as this is really different from her normal style (she puts it on reluctantly to attend).
• The Stoic: Mostly. In her more Byronic moments you can see she is Not So Stoic.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Jenny and Alice’s Girly Girl.
• Tomboyish Name: She has this as the resident bifauxnen lesbian tomboy of the cast.

Played By: Pam Grier

• The Alcoholic: She gets on and off the wagon throughout the series.
• The Atoner: She really want to make amends for her days before rehab, particularly to her family.
• Big Beautiful Woman: Of the Sassy Black Woman orientation. Papi approves.
• But I Can’t Be Pregnant!: Kit, who’s going through menopause, got pregnant by acccident anyway. She’s incredulous and used multiple tests to be sure.

• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish to Bette’s responsible one.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: You don’t mess with Kit Porter. Ever.
• Incompatible Orientation: With Papi. To her credit, she does try, but Kit just wasn’t made in that mold.
• Killed Offscreen: In Generation Q it turns out that she died from a heroin overdose at some point after the end of the original show.

Played By: Rachel Shelley

• Brainy Brunette: A smart, posh brunette.
• Cultural Rebel: First when she moves to LA, later when she goes to jail, and from there to Haiti.

• The Fashionista: She loves designer footwear.

• I Am Very British: Helena is English and speaks with an upper class accent.
• Lipstick Lesbian: She’s glamorous with long hair, stylish clothing (often pantsuits) and has impeccable manners most of the time.
• Money Fetish: For a while after her mother cuts her off.
• Ms. Fanservice: While pretty much all females fit this trope, no one does cleavage better then Helena.
• New Old Flame: With Dylan. Also a serious case of Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?, seeing how terribly Dylan treated her.

• Old Money: Discussed, though it used more to characterize her relationship with her mother.

• Rich Bitch: Originally introduced as one, though it is subverted pretty early on.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: A Statuesque Stunner with long, dark hair.
• Treadmill Trauma: Falls off one when she gets a text from Alice about Shane and Jenny dating.

Played By: Daniel Sea

• The Bus Came Back: Returned in Season 3 of Generation Q and was revealed to be happily married with a big family.
• But I Can’t Be Pregnant!: He gets pregnant with Tom the interpreter’s baby, and didn’t think this could be possible after taking so many male hormones.
• Dogged Nice Guy: To Brooke, who had a fit when she found out he was trans.
• Fish out of Water: In glitzy West Hollywood, as he’s from a small town in the Midwest. He never entirely gets over the contrast.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Of the just-not-that-close variety. Except for Shane and Jenny (who is rarely nice to him), no one seems to really like him. Not even Alice, who works with him.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Max develops one after he starts taking testosterone, having outbursts over minor things and dismaying Jenny, his girlfriend, who says she doesn’t recognize him. It turns out this is due to his dose being much too high. This changes back to how he was once it’s adjusted.
• Incompatible Orientation: With Jenny. An interesting example, as in the beginning of the relationship they were two compatible female lesbians. After Max comes out of the closet as male and undergoes changes, Jenny is no longer interested, and they become Just Friends.

  Max: I know I’ve been kind of a jerk since I’ve been on the testosterone, but I’m getting better. I don’t see what the problem is.
  Jenny: The problem is, Max, you identify as a straight man, and you want me to be your straight girlfriend, and I identify as a lesbian who likes to fuck girls.

• Mister Seahorse: Max gets pregnant while transitioning to male (and looks quite masculine due to the hormones he’s been taking).
• Nice Guy: Too nice for his own good, probably. Aside from briefly turning into a jerk due to his testosterone dose being too high, Max is extremely nice to everybody, even transphobic family and colleagues, reacting at most with quiet sadness.
• Only Sane Man: He has his fair share of drama, but compared to the soapy, wild lives of the rest, he’s pretty down-to-earth.
• The Quiet One: Especially when compared with his very talkative surroundings.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Briefly in season 3, due to the hormones he’d been taking. He gets better after finding out that the dose he was on was way too much.
• Trans Tribulations: Max faces pushback even from friends over transitioning, difficulty paying for top surgery, getting testosterone too high which severely affects his mood, and worst of all frequent transphobia even from his family (who don’t want him to even attend his mom’s funeral).

Played By: Rose Rollins

• Butch Lesbian: Tasha is a soft butch, and definitely a tomboy. She starts out as a tough, tacturn soldier suffering from PTSD who wears tanktops often or sleeveless shirts in civilian garb, with long hair but having it pulled back in a bun mostly.
• Closet Gay: Tasha is partly closeted due to being in the military, when Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was still in place. She’s cautious about PDA with her girlfriend, and when found out gets warned by her CO not to let it ever happen again or he’ll report her. Later she’s prosecuted by the Army for homosexual conduct (which she’s guilty of), but the prosecutor is herself a closeted lesbian afraid Tasha’s lover Alice will out her so she allows Tasha a way off to stay in the Army. Tasha though refuses to take it and admits she does love Alice on the stand, coming out in the courtroom.
• Gay Conservative: Tasha’s an Iraq War veteran who clashes with Alice while they’re dating, since the latter opposes the war. She expresses support of the war effort and the US rebuilding Iraqi society. Both agree to disagree though, and their relationship overcomes this (they later break up, but not over politics).
• Has a Type: Tasha says she’s into girly girls, thus why Popi didn’t work out with her (who’s a tomboy).
• Hidden Depths: At first Tasha just seems largely taciturn and doesn’t emote much. She then consoles Leonard, Phyllis’s husband, in a very sensitive way, surprising her friends.
• Military Brat: She used to be one. Her father was in the military too.
• Odd Friendship: With Papi. Papi is a Spicy Latina who Really Gets Around, whereas Tasha is a quiet, stern Token Wholesome.
• Only Sane Woman: In a sea of melodramatic self-righteous straw liberals, Tasha just makes her point.
• Opposites Attract: She’s quiet, conservative and reserved. Her girlfriend Alice is loud, liberal and outgoing.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Tasha is blue (quiet, reserved, cool) in contrast to Papi’s red (who’s a passionate Spicy Latina and Really Gets Around).
• Salt and Pepper: An unusual example. Tasha’s black and the straitlaced one, a quiet soldier dating Alice, her girlfriend who’s white plus far more unconventional.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: An unusual take on the trope, as it revolves around two women. Tasha is the savvy to Alice’s energetic girl.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: A former military officer who was stationed in Iraq, and still sometimes gets bad flashbacks from battle.
• Token Wholesome: In a show that has at least two sex scenes per episode, Tasha is surprisingly tame. She’s in a committed relationship with Alice when they date, and has only one sex scene, which is the lowest of all the lesbians.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tasha is a tomboy soldier who dated Alice, who’s a more girly civilian.
• Trauma Button: Tasha has a lot of PTSD triggers, even really simple things setting them off. Initially as well she won’t talk about them, leaving Alice confused.
• When She Smiles: Her demeanor is usually very calm and even strict, but when she laughs…

Played By: Erin Daniels

• Author Avatar: Loosely based on one of the show’s creators.
• Coming-Out Story: Complete with The Beard, conservative parents and some Gayngst.
• Covert Pervert: Alice and Tonya seem to bring it out in her.
• Dogged Nice Girl: To Lara.
• Endearingly Dorky: She lacks confidence, being quirky and downright dorky at times, especially when it’s time to hit on someone. People seem to find it attractive.
• Just Friends: With Jenny. They lacked all kinds of chemistry.
• Lesbian Jock: Dana is a professional tennis player who publicly comes out as a lesbian.
• Lethal Diagnosis: Breast cancer.
• Passionate Sports Girl: She is a professional tennis player and very into her sport.

Played By: Eric Mabius

Main character in season 1. Tim is Jenny’s boyfriend at the start of the series.

• Amicable Exes: He attempts to be this to Jenny during his short reappearance in season 3, but when they’re unable to reconcile their differences when they meet again.
• Betty and Veronica: He is the Betty to Marina’s Veronica, being seen as the «safe and stable» option.
• Disposable Fianc�: He and Jenny did get married, but it barely lasted a week.
• Emasculated Cuckold: Jenny keeps sleeping with Marina behind his back for most of season 1 and he’s portrayed as being very humiliated by it when he finds out, especially since it was an Open Secret to everyone else and refuses to take Jenny back.
• Good Luck Charm: Tim is very superstitious, and brings a stopwatch with him to work every day.
• Nice Guy: Eventually subverted, though he did have a right to be mad. He took it a bit far.
• Put on a Bus: After his divorce from Jenny, he leaves for Ohio in the first episode of season 2 and only has a few guest appearances in later seasons.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: At first he’s portrayed as a fairly generic if Nice Guy who was understandably upset about Jenny cheating on him, but later appearances have him show up to express some homophobic and transphobic views.

Played By: Karina Lombard

Main character in season 1. Owner of the Planet and Jenny’s Love Interest.

• The Bartender: Of her own lesbian bar, The Planet.
• Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Tim’s Betty and Jenny’s Archie, being the «dangerous seductress» who disrupts Jenny’s stable life.
• Closet Key: Marina seducing Jenny is what gets the latter to find out she’s into women.
• Contralto of Danger: Her low voice is very seductive. Lampshaded by Jenny.
• Driven to Suicide: After she has a nervous breakdown, she attempts to commit suicide via pills. She survives, but is Put on a Bus by going back to her family in Italy due to it.
• Femme Fatale: She’s portrayed as a sexually aggressive woman who seduces Jenny even though she knows Jenny is with Tim. Her promo even labels her as «The Hunter».
• Love at First Sight: She and Jenny have an instant connection while talking about literature, complete with sensual Held Gaze.

  Alice: Well, I’m just gonna leave you two alone to get married.

• Put on a Bus: At the beginning of season 2, she is sent to her family in Italy after a failed attempt at suicide.
• Sex Goddess: Jenny claims Marina was the best sex she ever had in her life.

  Jenny: No, no, no, you guys, you guys, I’m serious. This is probably the best sex that anybody can have on the fucking planet Earth.

• Statuesque Stunner: She is way taller than Jenny.

Played By: Janina Gavankar

Main character in season 4. A legendary womanizer who befriends the group.

• All Gays are Promiscuous: She’s an amped-up Shane. She’s been with over a thousand women.
• The Casanova: Papi is renowned as a legendary lesbian seducer, and seduces Alice within minutes after meeting her.
• Dashing Hispanic: Interestingly inverted. She is a charming womanizer with a Spanish accent but she’s a woman.
• Ethical Slut: She might be extremely promiscuous, but she’s open about it and doesn’t want to hurt the women she hooks up with. She even has a «rule of conduct» when it comes to dating, such as not sleeping with the roommates of her lovers. Despite her sassy attitude, she’s ultimately a kind person and loyal friend.
• Even the Girls Want Her: Straight girls. More of an Informed Attribute. Unfortunately for her, this did not include Kit.
• A Friend in Need: Tasha lampshades this often. Papi is a very loyal friend.
• Gratuitous Spanish: Constantly speaks in Spanish, to illustrate her being a Spicy Latina
• Incompatible Orientation: With Kit. Papi is really into her, but Kit is just too straight.
• Latin Lover: She’s a Spicy Latina legendary womanizer.
• Lesbian Jock: Papi is very athletic and her favorite place to meet girls is at the basketball games she’s playing in.
• The Nicknamer: She sometimes calls people the Spanish variant of their name. Alice becomes Alisia and so forth.
• Not Staying for Breakfast: Papi is a Love ‘Em And Leave ‘Em type. It’s even part of her «rules».

  Papi: Rule #1 — Papi doesn’t do breakfast.

• Odd Friendship: With Tasha. Papi is a Spicy Latina who Really Gets Around, whereas Tasha is a quiet, stern Token Wholesome.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: She’s only known as «Papi» for the majority of her screentime, with her real name being revealed as Eva Torres much later.
• Really Gets Around: A thousand hookups. That’s just a lot of work…

  Papi: I just do my thing. I live my life and my life has girls in it.

• Sex Goddess: She’s legendary for her sexual prowess. She claims to be really good at «making [women] feel good» and that she can make a woman orgasm with just a kiss. She proves it when she sleeps with Alice, bringing her to multiple loud orgasms throughout the night.
• Shrouded in Myth: Initially. Alice finds her on The Chart, a social networking site for lesbians that maps sexual relationships. Papi has over 1000 hits. It takes Alice a couple episodes to find her, given that she goes to Latin clubs asking for «papi»-not a name, just «daddy» in Spanish.
• Spicy Latina: Even more so than Carmen. Papi is a sexy Latina with a hot temper and a sassy attitude.
• Unknown Rival: She tries to get a friendly rivalry with Shane, but Shane’s just too disinterested to care.

List of The L Word cast members

This is a List of The L Word actors.

:»See also: List of characters from The L Word»

Cast members

*Jennifer Beals — Bette Porter
*Laurel Holloman — Tina Kennard
*Mia Kirshner — Jenny Schecter
*Pam Grier — Kit Porter
*Katherine Moennig — Shane McCutcheon
*Leisha Hailey — Alice Pieszecki
*Erin Daniels (Seasons 1—3) — Dana Fairbanks
*Eric Mabius (Season 1) — Tim Hapsel
*Karina Lombard (Season 1) — Marina Ferrer
*Rachel Shelley (Season 2—) — Helena Peabody
*Eric Lively (Season 2) — Mark Wayland
*Sarah Shahi (Seasons 2—3) — Carmen de la Pica Morales
*Daniela Sea (Season 3—) — Moira/Max Sweeney
*Dallas Roberts (Season 3—4) — Angus Partridge
*Cybill Shepherd (Season 4—) — Phyllis Kroll
*Marlee Matlin (Season 4—) — Jodi Lerner
*Janina Gavankar (Season 4—) — Papi
*Rose Rollins (Season 4—) — Tasha Williams
*Malaya Rivera Drew (Season 5—) — Adele Channing
*Kate French (Season 5-) — Niki Stevens
*Elizabeth Keener (Season 5—) — Dawn Denbo
*Clementine Ford (Season 5—) — Molly Kroll

Guest stars

Below is a list in alphabetical order of guest stars that have appeared, with their respective performances.
*Anne Archer as Lenore (in season one), Alice’s vain actress mother
*Rosanna Arquette as Cherie Jaffe (season one and three), a «Hollywood wife» with whom Shane had a romantic fling
*The rock band The B-52s (season two) as themselves
*Sandra Bernhard as Charlotte Birch (season two), a college professor of a creative writing class that Jenny attends
*The rock band Betty as themselves (seasons two & three). They also wrote/performed the theme song used since season twocite web|url=http://villagevoice.com/people/0525,conaway2,65117,24.html|title=She Is ‘The L Word’|accessdate=2006-09-03|author= Conaway, Laura|date=2005-06-19|work=The Village Voice] and a number of tracks for the musical score.Fact|date=February 2007
*Elodie Bouchez as Claude (season three), a French writer that becomes romantically involved with Jenny
*Kate Clinton as Dr. Farber, a lesbian sex therapist
*Alan Cumming as Billy Blaikie (season three), a transvestite party promoter.
*Lolita Davidovich as Francesca Wolf (season one), Marina’s lover
*Ossie Davis (his final acting role; seasons one and two) as Bette and Kit’s conservative father, Melvin Porter
*Dana Delany as Barbara Grisham (season three), a senator (and lesbian in the closet) from Massachusetts
*Holly Dignard as Chandra
*Snoop Dogg as rapper Slim Daddy (season one) for whom Kit appears in a music video
*Charles S. Dutton as the motivational speaker Benjamin Bradshaw (season two) who becomes romantically involved with Kit
*Steven Eckholdt as Henry (season three), a divorced father that becomes Tina’s first boyfriend after breaking up with Bette.
*Lisa Gay Hamilton (season one) as a nameless art show attendee that attends Bette’s show in New York
*The rock band Heart as themselves
*Alexandra Hedison as Dylan (season three), a documentary director that becomes Helena Peabody’s love interest, and later her sexual harassment plaintiff
*Nona Hendryx as herself
*Sandrine Holt as Catherine Rothberg (season four), a rich and poker playing lesbian, who uses Helena Peabody for her games and entertainment
*Arianna Huffington as herself (season two)
*Sharon Isbin as herself
*Irene López as Mercedes Morales, Carmen’s mother (season three)
*Dr. Susan Love as herself
*Jane Lynch as Joyce Wischnia, a gay-rights attorney who puts the moves on Tina while representing her against Bette in season two, and who Bette subsequently retains against Tina in the custodial fight of season three.
*Kelly Lynch as ‘drag king’ Ivan (seasons one and two) who helps Kit with her alcohol recovery
*Camryn Manheim as the egotistical and hot-tempered movie producer Veronica Bloom (season two), who hires Shane as her assistant
*Meredith McGeachie as Tonya (seasons one, two, and three), Dana’s celebrity-obsessed temporary fiancée and manager
*Tammy Lynn Michaels as Lacey, Shane’s stalker (season one)
*Dan Payne as a policeman (pilot episode)
*The singer Peaches as herself
*Melissa Rivers as herself (season two)
*Eric Roberts as Gabriel McCutcheon, Shane’s dysfunctional father (seasons three and four)
*Julian Sands as Nick Barashkov (season one), Jenny’s former college professor of Russian literature;
*Helen Shaver as Fay Buckley (season one), the leader of an extreme right-wing activist group bent on shutting down Bette’s art gallery;
*Russell Simmons as himself (season three)
*The rock band Sleater-Kinney as themselves
*Lauren Lee Smith as Lara Perkins (seasons one, two and three), a chef that both Dana and later Alice become romantically involved with;
*Cybill Shepherd as Phyllis «Heads Will Roll» Kroll, the university chancellor who hires Bette as dean of Art and confides her nascent lesbianism to Bette as well (season four)
*Gloria Steinem as herself (season two)
*Holland Taylor as Peggy Peabody (seasons one, two and three), the wealthy contributor to Bette’s art gallery and Helena’s mother
*The indie-pop band Tegan and Sara as themselves
*Guinevere Turner as Gabby Deveaux (seasons one and two), Alice’s hot and cold recurrent girlfriend
*The indie-pop band The Organ as themselves.
*Patricia Velásquez as Begoña, an inmigrant acctress (season five)

References

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2010.

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MAIN CAST

BETTE PORTER – JENNIFER BEALS

Katherine Moennig – Shane McCutcheon

Leisha Hailey – Alice Pieszecki

Jacqueline Toboni – (Sarah) Finley

Rosanny Zayas – Sophie Suarez

Arienne Mandi – Dani Nunez

Leo Sheng – Micah Lee

SEPIDEH MOAFI – GIGI GHORBANI