Showtime has given the last word on The L Word: Generation Q, canceling the drama after three seasons.
According to Deadline, Showtime declined to renew the show but is developing another offshoot of the franchise, tentatively titled The L Word: New York, with the help of co-creator Ilene Chaiken.
The cancellation isn’t a total surprise: As Deadline notes, Showtime hasn’t renewed a single series since the announcement this January that Showtime would rebrand as Paramount+ with Showtime as part of an integration with the Paramount+ streaming service. Showtime previously canceled Let The Right One In and American Gigolo, while the upcoming series Three Women and Ripley moved to other outlets.
Kharen Hill/Showtime
Chris McCarthy, the CEO of Showtime and Paramount Media Networks, name-dropped the L Word franchise in December when he announced his plan “to lean into Showtime’s strengths” and cited three key areas for the channel’s brand: “Complex and subversive antiheroes like Dexter and Yellowjackets, powerful high-stakes worlds like Homeland and Billions, and unconventional cultural takes like The L Word and The Chi — all with an eye towards making the biggest hits possible and building them into hit franchises as we have done very successfully across the company.”
The L Word: Generation Q is a reboot of Showtime’s 2004 series The L Word, with many original cast members returning as series regulars or guest stars.
Generation Q starred Jennifer Beals, Jamie Clayton, Leisha Hailey, Jordan Hull, Arienne Mandi, Sepideh Moafi, Katherine Moennig, Leo Sheng, Jacqueline Toboni, and Rosanny Zayas.
Marja-Lewis Ryan served as showrunner and executive-produced the series alongside Chaiken, Kristen Campo, Allyce Ozarski, and Melody Derloshon. Beals, Hailey, and Moenning — who all starred in the original series — also served as executive producers.