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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, December 6, 2019 4 By Breanna Henry TV Media S howtime has always been up for taking a risk. A drug-dealing suburban mom and an awkwardly heroic serial killer were widely consid- ered too objectionable for au- diences in 2005, yet "Weeds" and "Dexter" both skyrocketed to phenom status (along with their casts and creators) when Showtime took a chance on them. More recent series such as "Shameless" and "Ray Donovan" have continued the trend. Major networks have de- clined to even glance at many of the series Showtime has greenlit, and over the years, the network's open-mindedness and forward-thinking have turned those shows into main- stream cultural sensations. On Sunday, Dec. 8, Showtime is taking a new kind of chance. For the first time ever, the net- work is reviving one of its own unexpected hits, as "The L Word: Generation Q" brings the 2004 original series "The L Word" into the modern era. Fans of the old show will be ec- static to see the return of origi- nal cast members, and new fans will appreciate the rise of brand-new breakout stars. "The L Word" was an hour- long drama featuring an en- semble cast of women. The se- ries followed a diverse group of 20-somethings as they went about their daily lives in West Hollywood trying to navigate their many (often disastrous) relationships. Showtime has never been one to shy away from sexuality in its programs, and "The L Word" was no ex- ception; what was different about the show was that all of the main characters, and most other characters, were part of the LGBTQ community. The women of "The L Word" were a varied bunch — some were open and proud, some were curious, questioning or closeted, and the series showed audiences that gay women were not all cut from the same cloth, and that they definitely didn't all look like El- len DeGeneres (though many would be pleased as punch if they did). The fictional charac- ters of "The L Word" were liv- ing the kinds of vastly differing lives and partaking in the dif- ferent types of relationships that real-life queer women were, with a whole lot of dra- matic flare thrown in to keep viewers hooked. "The L Word: Generation Q" features the return of original series stars Jennifer Beals ("Flashdance," 1983), indie- pop musician Leisha Hailey ("Dead Ant," 2017) and actor Katherine Moennig ("Ray Donovan") as Bette Porter, Al- ice Pieszecki and Shane Mc- Cutcheon, respectively. A few new actresses and actors also get the chance to shine in this sequel, including Jacqueline Toboni ("Grimm") as an exec- utive assistant named Sarah; Arienne Mandi ("In the Vault") as Bette's new lover, Dani; and Leo Sheng ("Adam," 2019) as Micah, a professor. The return of Beals, Pieszecki and Moen- nig gives fans high hopes for the revival; since "The L Word" was such a big part of these women's careers, signing on signals their belief in the script Showtime has put together. While Shane, Bette and Alice were on the air from 2004 to 2009, "The L Word" was THE show for lesbian, queer and questioning television audi- ences. The year before "The L Word" premiered, only two of 674 female characters on prime-time television (0.2%) were lesbians, and the queer community was crying out for more representation. That's not to say this show was perfect in its representa- tion, or even that it lived up to the responsibility it had. No one on "The L Word" ever seemed to have to go to work, everyone seemed to be rich (even Shane, the drug-taking, hypersexual hairdresser), and everyone was involved in some kind of affair all of the time, usually with each other. Still, it was a far cry from the LGBTQ tropes running rampant on network television in the pre- ceding years. The important thing is that "The L Word" broke ground for the shows that came after it, including Netflix's cross-cultur- ally popular "Orange Is the New Black" (created by "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan, yet another reason to thank Showtime) and CW's newest Arrowverse series, "Batwom- an." Showtime is finally get- ting the chance to bring the dated stereotypes and the oft- problematic storylines of "The L Word" into the modern age with "Generation Q"; selecting L.A. Outfest award winner Marja-Lewis Ryan as showrun- ner gives the show a promising start. coverstory Jennifer Beals as seen in "The L Word: Generation Q" Love is all around: Showtime reboots an old favorite with 'The L Word: Generation Q' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Why was Belle's song cut from "The Muppet Christ- mas Carol"? It really set the tone for the scene, but it is cut in most versions. A: Your appreciation of Belle's song puts you on the side of producer-director Brian Henson but against then-Disney boss Jeffrey Katzenberg. And Katzenberg outranks both of you. That said, Henson didn't give up without a fight. The song was in his original cut but was removed at Katzenberg's be- hest from the theatrical release. It was put back in for the VHS release but then re-removed for the subsequent DVD and Blu- Ray release. It's still not included in most streaming versions, but a 20th-anniversary DVD released in 2012 put it back in. Katzenberg's position, which makes some sense, to be hon- est, is that this is a kids movie, and kids don't want to see hu- mans singing to each other. They want to see Muppets. With the song intact, this scene, which shows Belle leaving Scrooge because of his growing obsession with money, is one of the longer Muppet-free sequences. That said, it still adds something, so if you're the owner of one of the cut versions, it's worth looking up a clip of it online. The song, "When Love Is Gone," doesn't add any plot ele- ments — story-wise, it just serves to add some emotional heft to Belle's decision — but it does set up the big final song, "When Love Is Found." That song still works, of course, but it's a little less … bio- graphical for Scrooge without the earlier one. Q: Why did Grant and Jason get all the screen time on "Ghost Hunters"? They were my least favorite members of the team. A: Say what you will about their style, but if it weren't for Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes, there would have been no "Ghost Hunters." The two founded the show, basing it around their pre-exist- ing paranormal investigating service, TAPS (The Atlantic Para- normal Society). The show always featured a larger team of investigators, but Wilson and Hawes were the constant. At first, anyway. Wilson left the show in 2012 to spend some time out of the spotlight, while Hawes continued until the show came to a (temporary) end in 2016. But earlier this year Wilson revived the show, while Hawes left to launch a new series on the Travel Channel. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Towne Floring 3 x 2 The Powell Company 2 x 2

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