Where has the cast of 'The L Word' been since the show ended in 2009?
The much-anticipated sequel to the groundbreaking progressive Showtime series 'The L Word' titled 'The L Word: Generation Q' is coming to Showtime later this week. The show's original protagonists Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey will be reprising their roles as Bette, Shane and Alice.
This time around, it looks like the show is aiming to right some wrongs of its original run, particularly the critique of its ensemble cast that only represented a teeny-tiny portion of a large pool of queer characters and refused to dig deeper into the issues that transgenders and people of color face in real life.
But by bringing onboard a new generation of characters, the show is welcoming diversity. Arienne Mandi stars as Dani Nùñez, Rosanny Zayas plays her love interest, Sophie Suarez, Leo Sheng plays one of their close friends and roommates Micah Lee, Jacqueline Toboni stars as Sarah Finley, who works with Alice (as does Sophie) and is also a close friend and roommate to Dani and Sophie, Brian Michael Smith stars as Pierce Williams, Bette's campaign manager, and Freddy Miyares as Micah's Jose Garcia.
But what happened to the original cast? What have they been up to since the show ended in 2009 after a five-year run?
Jennifer Beals (as Bette Porter)
While Beals made her debut in 1980's 'My Bodyguard', she garnered critical acclaim for her performance three years later in 1983's 'Flashdance', a role for which she won NAACP Image Award for Actress and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.
Beals received a lot of praise for her role of Bette Porter, one of the protagonists of the show. Since the show ended in 2009, Beals appeared alongside Denzel Washington in the post-apocalyptic action drama in 'The Book of Eli' in 2010. Through 2009-2001, she had a recurring role in 'Lie To Me' opposite Tim Roth, following which she did 'The Chicago Code'. In 2017, she worked in 'Before I Fall' and also did a quick stint on the short-lived TNT series 'Proof'.
Known for her support for women's rights, she appeared alongside 'Pretty Little Liars' fame Troian Bellisario in the uncompromisingly honest 'Lauren' about military rape. She was also seen in NBC's 'Taken', which serves as a prequel to the 'Taken' film series and in Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Last Tycoon' in the recurring role of Margo Taft.
The actress will now be reprising her role of Bette Porter in 'The L Word: Generation Q'. She is also executive producing the show.
Laurel Holloman (as Tina Kennard)
Holloman's Tina Kennard shared an intense on-again-off-again relationship with Bette Porter till they finally part ways in between the events of 'The L Word' and 'The L Word: Generation Q'. Holloman didn't concentrate on acting after 'The L Word' barring an appearance in 'Castle' and some episodes of 'Gigantic' alongside Grace Gummer.
Since 2012, Holloman has concentrated on her art career holding solo exhibitions like the 2012's Free Falling in Ateneo of Venice, and Coeur Libre in Pantheon Town Hall in Paris, and showcasing at the Venice Biennale, All The World Inside, Palazzo Italia, Berlin. Her last exhibition was Fertile Ground at Banksie Gallery in London in 2017.
Katherine Moennig (as Shane McCutcheon)
Before Moennig got on board 'The L Word', she worked on the short-lived 'Young Americans'. After 'The L Word' ended, Moennig scored a role of 'Three Rivers', but the show had a short run and taken off the air. Since 2013, she has starred as Lena on the Emmy-nominated series 'Ray Donovan'. She also had a role to play in the star-studded 'Everybody's Fine' alongside Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale and Drew Barrymore.
Leisha Hailey (as Alice Pieszecki)
Hailey first came to public attention as a musician in the pop duo, The Murmurs, but the band broke up after she was cast on 'The L Word'. While she continues her music career as a part of the band, Uh Huh Her, she also works on her career as an actress appearing in primetime favourite shows such as 'American Dad!', 'CSI', 'Drop Dead Diva' 'The New Normal', 'Supernatural' and 'Silicon Valley'. In 2016, she was cast on Amazon Prime Video's 'Bosch'.
Sarah Shahi (as Carmen de la Pica Morales)
Before landing the role of the Showtime favorite, Shahi appeared on 'Spin City', 'Frasier', 'Dawson's Creek' and 'Old School'. Since 'The L Word' ended, Sarah Shahi starred in 'Life' and 'Fairly Legal'. She also had a multi-episode arc on 'Psych', 'Chicago Fire' and 'Reverie'. Shahi also appeared in 'I Don't Know How She Does It' alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and in 'Bullet to the Head' opposite Sylvester Stallone. The actress even scored a guest spot on Moennig's 'Ray Donovan'. She starred in Showtime's 'City on a Hill' as Rachel Behnam in 2019.
Mia Kirshner (as Jenny Schecter)
Perhaps we will never know who killed Jenny. Since the show ended, Kirshner made '388 Arleta Avenue'. The actress also appeared on The CW's hit show 'The Vampire Diaries'.
Kirshner also starred in the Netflix thriller 'Bloodline' and has had a recurring role on 'Star Trek: Discovery'. On the movies front, Kirshner has starred in 'The Black Dahlia' garnering mostly positive reviews for her performance, and in '30 Days of Night: Dark Days'.
As of September 2019, Kirshner is set to play a character in Lifetime Television's movie 'The College Admissions Scandal' with co-star Penelope Ann Miller. Her role is based on Lori Loughlin's and is named Bethany.
'The L Word: Generation Q' premieres on Showtime on December 8, 2019, at 10/9c.