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When I read that Showtime gave Ilene Chaiken the green light for nine episodes of a reality show called "The Real L Word: Los Angeles," my first thought was "Ooo, what a bad idea." Not that I won't tune in to watch at least the pilot episode of that bad idea, mind you. And I'm sure I'll probably get totally sucked in to the show, ...but, a reality show? Really? Has anyone ever done a reality show (ala Real World, or Real Housewives) and not come out looking like an immature, unintelligent, shallow, narcissistic, egomaniac. I'm not saying that's how those people really are, I'm saying footage gets edited down to the few tastiest clips. I'm sure if a camera crew followed me around 24/7, they could portray me in many different ways depending on what suits their needs. It just seems like potential for bad representation of lesbians.
I understand that reality television is the program format du jour. I also know that lesbians are starving to see more girls-who-like-girls, on television. Or at least this one is. So it only makes sense that someone would end up going there; cast a few hot chicks with big personalities, a bit of fashion sense, and a little flare for the dramatic, and you've almost certainly got a hit. Unless we're talking about Gimme Sugar. Then, not so much (Or maybe I'm just too old, too coupled, and too much of a midwesterner for that show). Anyway. What I don't get, is why Ilene Chaiken is going there. She is quoted as saying,
Even though we concluded our sixth season of 'The L Word' on Showtime this past March, I believe we are not nearly finished telling our 'L Word' stories
- 'L Word' is now a reality, by Michael Schneider
Which, I suppose is true. But, these won't be her stories, her characters to narrate. These will be real people, with real lives, whose stories and voices belong to no one but them. They aren't puppets whose strings she can pull for her own gratification. She can't make them do things they would never do, just to tell the story she wants to tell. Just in case you couldn't tell, I am still irked about how The L Word ended, just so she could try to spin off her new show. Leaving us all hanging with no resolution to the murder mystery that she created. And then, to add insult to injury, she gave us the interrogation tapes.
So. Seriously? This is the person we want at the helm of a reality show about the lives of 6 LA lesbians? Think I'm the only one whose critical about this? Check out Dorothy Snarker's post at After Ellen. She says,
Also, is anyone else troubled by how readily Ilene blurs the boundaries between the fiction of TLW and the reality of actual lesbians? How can this be “telling our L Word stories” when it should be telling the stories of these six, as-yet-uncast real lesbians?
Unless, that is, the entire L Word cast is about to come out as lesbians and let us follow them around with cameras. Now that is something I might actually watch.
-Let's get real about 'The Real L Word', by Dorothy Snarker
Or Grace Chu's post at Grace the Spot
So, thank you Ilene, for the bailout. We look forward to reviewing your new reality show about the true story of six lesbians – a writer turned stripper, a hairdresser who can’t do her own hair, a Persian who identifies as a Latina, a tennis player with terminal cancer, a British heiress with a criminal record, and a dog named Sounder – who get thrown into a Los Angeles County jail cell for eight weeks. Bring it on.
-The Real L Word? Hurrah! The cult of complaining about Ilene Chaiken shall return!, by Grace Chu
Autostraddle has a comment contest, in which commenters have to finish one of two statements.
We couldn’t help ourselves. This is a perfect reason to obsess over our feelings related to L Word. SO! Here’s the deal: comment on this post by finishing the sentence “On The Real L Word, there better be some goddamn….” or “On The Real L Word, there will be no ….” etc.
E.g.,”On The Real L Word, Jenny will step away from the railing,” or,
