The L Word'

Showtime, the cable station that brought us "Queer As Folk," has apparently heard the cries of frustrated lesbians everywhere that Lindsay and Melanie just don't get enough screen time on QAF. What about our needs?
Well girls, those needs are about to be met. On Jan. 18 Showtime will debut the pilot episode of "The L Word," ostensibly the lesbian answer to QAF, sex and all.
Which leads us to "The L Word's" other target audience: straight men. There's a lot of eye candy on this show. Well dressed, lipstick-wearing ladies who like to have sex with their own kind. Don't expect to see any flannel or women of size. The closest thing to a dyke character is Katherine Moennig as Shane McCutcheon, and she really isn't all that butch, she just sleeps with a lot of women and has a slightly boyish look to her. At one point in the pilot she dons what appears to be a leather halter-top, hardly dyke apparel.
Is "The L Word" geared toward the lesbian fantasies of straight men? Yes, to an extent. Surely this demographic was not lost on the writers and producers of "The L Word." However, this isn't a show by men and for men. The head writer on the show is a lesbian who has been in a relationship with a woman for 20 years.
The word "lesbian" makes a lot of people uncomfortable. The title of the show lends itself to the sanitized, sexy, fantasy lesbian ideal that straight men want to see and believe. It isn't that hot, young, feminine women have no appeal to lesbians, but the popularity of lesbian films like "Everything Relative" and "Go Fish" indicates that many lesbians aren't completely focused on physical image.
"L" has already been favorably compared to "Sex In the City" (which isn't surprising considering the show's tag line is "Same sex, different city"), which has a broad appeal and a diverse viewership. Aside from the obvious lesbian focus (as opposed to the heterosexual focus of "City"), "The L Word" really does have a lot to offer to viewers assuming they can get past what that "L" really stands for.
Eric Mabius ("Welcome to the Dollhouse") plays Tim Haspel, a generally good guy who has the sad luck to be engaged to a woman who isn't as straight as she thought. On the Showtime web site, Mabius says he thinks the show has a broad appeal and doesn't want it to be labeled as the female "Queer as Folk." On why men will watch the show he said, "It's not too difficult to watch eight beautiful women." He thinks that women will find the characters and their stories engaging, regardless of where they fall on the sexuality continuum.
Jennifer Beals (of "Flashdance" fame), who plays Bette, also thinks the show will attract a wide audience "It's really as if some of the gals in 'Sex In the City' had slept with each other," she said on the show's official web site.
The show revolves around Bette and Tina (played by Laurel Holloman, the tomboyish Randi in "The Incredible True Adventures of Two Girls in Love"), a lesbian couple together for seven years and their circle of friends in Los Angeles, many of whom are lesbians. Bette and Tina want to start a family and spend a large part of the pilot searching for a suitable sperm donor.
The cast of "The L Word" is like a who's who list of lesbian favorites. The circle of friends includes Pam Grier ("Foxy Brown" and "Jackie Brown") as Kit, Bette's half sister. Kit is a musician, a mother, a heterosexual, and a recovering alcoholic.
Alice, a bisexual journalist, is played by Leisha Hailey who is a real-life lesbian. Hailey was in the lesbian film "All Over Me" and is also k.d. Lang's girlfriend. Hailey was in the pop rock duo the Murmers and is currently rocking out with the band Gush. Alice's ex-girlfriend on the show is played by Guinevere Turner ("Go Fish").
Erin Daniels ("One Hour Photo") plays Dana Fairbanks, a closeted pro tennis player who falls in love with a woman in spite of her efforts to stay single.
"The L Word" also has a host of celebrities scheduled to do guest appearances this season including Rosanna Arquette, Snoop Dog, and Melissa Etheridge's new wife Tammy Lynn Michaels.