The L Word: Generation Q is a reboot of Ilene Chaiken’s beloved lesbian soap opera, The L Word, which originally premiered on Showtime back in 2004. After two successful seasons, Generation Q has managed to expand the show’s inclusivity, tackle modern-day topics like the Me Too movement and Times Up, and entice fans of the original show with a new cast of characters to fall in love with.
Season 2 ended with a bunch of HUGE cliffhangers, but we hopefully won't have to hold our breath much longer: The L Word: Generation Q Season 3 has reportedly begun filming, so we’ll hopefully be reunited with the L Word squad before the end of the year. While no premiere date has been announced for Season 3 yet, here's what we know so far about the new season of one of the best shows on Showtime.
Bette, Alice, And Shane Are Expected To Be Back
Reprising their roles as Bette, Alice, and Shane, original L Word actors Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, and Kate Moennig will return for Season 3. The show’s Instagram page shared a pic of the trio, smiling in a location that is presumably Dana’s (a bar in the series named for one of the late characters from the original show).
All three women have shared posts on their own social media handles documenting their excitement to be back on set, including this post from Leisha Hailey:
The show wouldn’t be the same without these three vital characters, so we’re happy to see them back together once again.
Kehlani Is Joining The Cast For Season 3
Back in 2021, R&B singer Kehlani shared via Twitter in a now-deleted Tweet that they were in the middle of binging The L Word for the first time. Via Out.com, the Grammy-nominarted artist added on Instagram stories that they’d love to be a part of the show “in any way shape or form.”
It appears things have come full circle: Kehlani recently announced on Instagram that they’ll actually be joining the cast of The L Word: Generation Q as a guest star.
It’s unknown whether Kehlani will play a character or appear as themself, but regardless, the queer icon is ready to test out their acting chops. The Blue Water Road singer, who came out as lesbian and on the non-binary spectrum in 2021, has been open about their experiences with men and women in their music, making them a perfect match for the fluid and diversified direction Generation Q has taken The L Word.
After that karaoke scene last season, maybe we can expect a music number??? We can only hope.
Lots Of Our New Favorite Characters Will Also Be Returning
Many of the new characters from The L Word: Generation Q have taken to Instagram and Twitter to express their excitement about beginning to film Season 3. Those who’ve posted about their returns to set include Jamie Clayton, who plays Tess, a bartender at Dana’s and Shane’s main love interest of Season 2.
Also returning for Season 3 are Jacqueline Toboni (who plays the messy but lovable Finley), Jordan Hull (returning again as Bette and Tina’s daughter, after appearing in Adam Sandler’s movie Hustle), Rosanny Zayas (who plays Sophie, a producer for Alice’s talk show), and Leo Sheng (who portrays Micah, a transgender psychologist).
Obligatory season 3 boomerang on day one of s3 for @SHO_TheLWord ☺️😊 pic.twitter.com/hEpX85feGuJune 7, 2022
Members of the cast have teased Season 3 with photos of the entire Season 2 cast, suggesting that all of the characters are returning—but we’ll have to wait for confirmation before getting too excited.
Season 3 Will Still Take Place in LA (But We May See The Characters Elsewhere?)
Underneath the tagline “Season 3 is coming, Besties,” Showtime announced the return of The L Word: Generation Q in February of 2022, describing the premise of the show as “a new group of tightknit friends experiencing life, love, setbacks and success in LA.”
While Los Angeles is certainly an integral part of The L Word: Generation Q’s story, there are ways we could see some of the characters outside LA as well. Keep in mind that Finley has agreed to go to rehab, Tess has commitments in Las Vegas, Dani was arrested, and Alice is supposed to tour the country promoting her book. These plot points may place our characters outside the City of Angels, at least for a while.
Showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan Is Back With A Team Of Talented Writers
In an interview with Collider, showrunner and writer Marja-Lewis Ryan spoke about diversity in the writers room for Season 3 and the need to include the voices of queer people of color, something Generation Q’s 2004 predecessor failed to do.
The L Word: Generation Q has shifted away from the mostly-white perspective of the original show, but Ryan hopes to maintain the soapy-level of drama that fans have come to know and love while staying true to the queer stories at the heart of the show.
We’re here to write this show for us. It’s for us, and by us, which is very exciting. There’s really nothing better than listening to a room full of queers scream. That’s fun.
Those screams she’s referring to are the sounds of frustrated viewers yelling at the characters on their screens—and if Season 3 is anything like Season 2, there are probably many more screams to come.
Donald Faison Has Not Yet Confirmed His Return To The Show
One Generation Q star who has yet to confirm a return to set is Donald Faison. The actor was a surprise fan-favorite, starring as Alice’s editor and later, her love interest. Since Alice and Tom’s story ended on such a cliffhanger (ring any bells?), his absence from press material is causing fans to worry about the pair’s future.
Faison, arguably best known for his longtime role as Turk on Scrubs, marked a change for The L Word when it comes to how the show discusses bisexual characters. Tom’s return in Season 3 would be pretty validating for Alice’s identity as a bisexual woman, but for now we’ll have to wait and see if Faison intends to remain a part of Generation Q’s cast.
Leisha Hailey And Kate Moennig Have A Lot Of Scenes Together
If you don’t know, now you know: Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig have a podcast together, called Pants with Kate and Leisha. In the episode New Settings, the actors shared that while they’ve only read the scripts for the first few episodes, their characters have a lot of screen time together.
This tidbit from Hailey and Moennig has caused fans to speculate whether Season 3 takes place after a time jump—after all, Alice was supposed to be heading off on her book tour at the conclusion of Season 2.
Regardless, the pair sound happy to have more scenes together this upcoming season. Moennig also added in another episode of the podcast that while she doesn’t have a say in Shane’s fate, she would love to see Carmen (Shane’s love interest from Season 2 and 3 of The L Word, played by Sex/Life cast member Sarah Shahi) return to the show.
The L Word: Generation Q Season 3’s Release Date Has Not Yet Been Announced
Despite filming being underway, Showtime has not yet announced an official 2022 release date for Season 3 of The L Word: Generation Q. When Showtime announced the series' renewal for Season 3 in February 2022, they mentioned that the series would return later this year. Season 2 premiered in August of 2021 after a nearly 2-year hiatus thanks to the pandemic—but since Covid restrictions may have relaxed a bit, production will hopefully be able to move more quickly to get Season 3 to the fans.
Episodes of Seasons 1 and 2 of The L Word: Generation Q are available to stream on Showtime. To catch up on the backstory and the history of the WLW drama, all six seasons of the original The L Word are available with a Hulu subscription.
