The L Word: Generation Q

The L Word: Generation Q is a spritely and engaging sequel series, having matured its predecessor's foundational players since the original story ended.

The series is no longer the definitive take on being a lesbian in America. Several series are telling these stories, far more than in 2004. This gives "Generation Q" the freedom to carve out its own niche, which seems to be joy.

Generation Q is still finding its groove, but with its understated respect for a multitude of queer aesthetic presentations, the reboot is a welcome addition to a still-slim LGBTQ canon.

The show’s world is more inclusive now, but in ways that can feel more about art direction (add some people of color!) than about a dramatically different worldview. Nonetheless, the first three episodes of Generation Q are enjoyable and set several promising arcs in motion, and by promising I mostly mean, “There’s definitely going to be some drama coming up.” Generation Q’s main first impression, though, is that it feels like fun, soapy, twisty, regular TV.

Happily, the new showrunner, Marja-Lewis Ryan, is sticking with the common-sense-defying soap opera antics that made the original series a love-hate phenomenon that fans derided while obsessing over it. ... Based on the three episodes made available in advance to journalists, “Generation Q” both follows in the first series’s footsteps and expands its scope.

While it’s gratifying to watch the original characters navigate this advanced new stage of life, and all the differences (and similarities) that lesbian life in 2019 has to offer, the new cast has a way of stealing the spotlight.

A glossy, bighearted show that’s less soapy than the original series but delivers enough secrets, sex, and secret sex to keep the stakes high. ... Because there’s no central hangout (RIP The Planet) and the two groups of peers mostly overlap in the workplace, Generation Q lacks the intimacy of The L Word, which owed much of its magic to intraclique chemistry and conflict. The new series feels like a collection of individual stories about generally likable people.

By trying to make itself young, hip, and “politically correct,” “The L Word: Generation Q” has highlighted the original series’ flaws (too white, too cis, too femme) as well as its strengths (we loved the characters anyway).

The updated “L Word,” it seems, is less concerned with being radical than it is with being inoffensive. “Generation Q” is not without its pleasures—the story lines, in keeping with tradition, are nice and preposterous, and there’s a nostalgic comfort in watching long-dormant characters misbehave again.

Identity politics are the newest member of the cast, and a most unwelcome one.

New showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar) struggles to balance such a big cast; Micah and Sophie don’t quite come into focus in the three episodes sent for review. What’s more worrisome in the long run is that, despite their proximity, these two cohorts can feel like they’re in parallel shows. ... The result is a more serious drama shoehorned into an aspirational soap.