Some
of
the
great
gay
shows
of
the
past
several
years
have
only
made
it
through
five
seasons.
“Six
Feet
Under”
succumbed
after
five
years,
and
“Queer
As
Folk,”
which
paved
the
way
for
explicit
gay
dramas
to
come,
danced
its
last
dance
after
the
half-decade
mark.
Ilene
Chaiken,
the
creator
and
head
writer
of
Showtime’s
“The
L
Word,”
says
she’s
shocked
that
her
show
has
made
it
as
far
as
those
other
gay
milestones.
“I
would
never
have
dared
to
let
myself
think
that
anything
I
created
[would
be
on
the
air
for
five
seasons],”
she
says.
“I
didn’t
think
that
it
wouldn’t,
but
I
didn’t
presume
it
would
get
on
the
air,
nonetheless
last
five
years.”
Not
only
did
it
make
it
on
the
air,
‘The
L
Word’
became
a
sensation,
spawning
fan
celebrations
galore,
websites
including
the
networking
phenom
OurChart,
a
jewelry
line
inspired
by
the
show,
and
yes,
the
fifth
season,
which
premieres
Sunday,
Jan.
6.
Previous
seasons
taught
Chaiken
some
lessons
to
make
the
upcoming
season
the
best
so
far.
“I’ve
learned
to
have
fun
and
to
keep
my
characters
having
fun
and
to
let
the
audience
have
fun
with
them,”
she
says.
“I’ve
learned
to
listen
to
the
audience
as
well.
As
it
becomes
a
more
interactive
medium,
I
think
it’s
really
important
to
interact
with
them.”
Last
season
ended
with
a
number
of
our
favorite
ladies
in
peril.
Jenny
(Mia
Kirshner)
was
adrift
in
the
middle
of
the
ocean
after
feeling
treated
poorly
during
the
movie
adaptation
of
her
book
“Lez
Girls,”
a
thinly
veiled
version
of
the
real
lives
of
her
lesbian
friends
and
neighbors.
Helena
(Rachel
Shelly)
was
filling
a
bag
full
of
loot
from
her
rich
girlfriend’s
safe
and
taking
off
for
parts
unknown.
Tasha
(Rose
Rollins)
was
about
to
be
shipped
off
to
Iraq
with
her
squadron,
just
after
reconciling
with
Alice
(Leisha
Hailey).
Bette
(Jennifer
Beals)
wasn’t
in
so
much
trouble
after
she
won
the
heart
of
deaf
artist
Jodi
(Marlee
Matlin)
with
some
help
from
her
ex
Tina
(Laurel
Holloman),
who
was
pining
for
Bette
even
as
she
helped.
Notorious
playgirl
Shane
(Katherine
Moennig)
was
settling
down
with
her
girlfriend
Paige
(Kristanna
Loken),
Phyllis
(Cybill
Shepherd)
was
settling
down
with
lawyer
Joyce
(Jane
Lynch),
Kit
(Pam
Grier)
was
recovering
from
a
relapse
of
her
alcoholism,
and
Max
(Daniela
Sea)
was
heading
off
to
San
Francisco
to
have
“top
surgery”
to
continue
transitioning
from
female
to
male.
THE
NEW
SEASON
resolves
all
of
those
plot
threads
—
and
if
you
don’t
want
any
spoilers,
stop
here.
Jenny
washes
up
on
shore
to
find
a
wealthy
benefactor
who
wants
to
fund
“Lez
Girls”
and
insists
that
she
be
the
director.
She
becomes
even
more
insufferable,
if
that’s
possible.
Chaiken
says
that
the
“Lez
Girls”
subplot
is
a
major
one
in
the
new
season.
“We
get
to
tell
a
story
about
Hollywood
and
movie
making,”
she
says,
adding
that
the
details
are
taken
from
her
and
her
writers’
own
experiences
with
show
biz.
“It’s
not
because
we
wanted
to
make
an
inside
story
about
show
business,
it’s
something
that
happened
to
our
characters
and
so
we’ll
go
along
for
the
ride.
It
also
allows
us
to
look
at
the
stories
we’ve
told
from
another
point
of
view
and
make
fun
of
ourselves.”
Unlike
Jenny,
Chaiken
says
that
her
characters
on
the
show
aren’t
taken
from
real
life.
“All
of
my
characters
are
fictional,”
she
says.
“There
are
moments
when
I
take
inspiration
from
people
I
know,
but
I
would
never
say
who
because
it
becomes
confusing.”
Another
major
story
this
season
revolves
around
Tasha’s
military
service.
Her
deployment
to
Iraq
is
delayed
as
she
undergoes
an
investigation
that
charges
her
with
“homosexual
conduct”
and
could
cause
her
ouster
from
the
Army.
“One
of
the
true
things
about
politics
and
current
events
is
that
they
really
affect
people,
and
it
was
clear
that
it
was
going
to
come
into
Tasha’s
life,”
Chaiken
says.
“We
didn’t
say,
‘Lets
do
a
Don’t
Ask,
Don’t
Tell
story,’
but
because
she’s
in
a
relationship
with
Alice,
she’s
going
to
have
these
problems.
Alice
is
no
wallflower,
she’s
very
much
out
there,
and
she’s
going
to
make
Tasha’s
life
a
little
difficult.”
The
story
line
also
introduces
Col.
Gillian
Davis,
a
prosecuting
military
attorney
who
Chaiken
describes
...
The
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mcstaggerlee on 1/4/0811:26 AM:
Recheck your facts, folks. Cybill Shepherd was the not the sexy blonde mystery woman in "American Graffiti", it was Susanne Somers.
