The L Word: Generation Q Season 2 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far

Pride month kicked off in glorious fashion when Showtime rolled out the first teaser trailer for "The L Word: Generation Q" Season 2 on June 1 (via Deadline). The new teaser trailer not only confirmed the new season's release date (August 6!) but also previewed some of the exciting storylines that will be populating these 10 new, hour-long episodes. As confirmed by celebratory Instagram posts from cast members including "L Word" alums Katherine Moennig, Jennifer Beals, and Leisha Hailey, filming on "The L Word: Generation Q" officially wrapped on May 25. Given the very recent wrap date, it's a bit of a surprise that fans have been treated to a teaser trailer a little over a week later, but we'll take it.

Premiering in December 2019, "The L Word: Generation Q" is a sequel series to the hit queer drama "The L Word," which aired on Showtime from 2004 to 2009. "Generation Q" connects to its predecessor through the ongoing storylines of Bette Porter (Beals), Shane McCutcheon (Moennig), and Alice Pieszecki (Hailey), three friends who have bonded with one another through the years as gay women living and looking for love in Los Angeles. "Generation Q" also introduces a variety of new characters, all of whom are also members of LA's ever-evolving and vast LGBTQ+ community and whose lives both personal and professional are entwined in interesting ways.

With a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 71%, not to mention plenty of drama and intrigue to keep viewers hooked, it's no surprise that "Generation Q" received a Season 2 renewal (via Oprah Daily) ahead of its Season 1 finale. Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, here's everything we know about the next chapter of "The L Word: Generation Q," including the release date, cast, and plot.

"The L Word: Generation Q" has an unusual release schedule for its second season. According to Deadline, the Season 2 premiere will air first on Friday, August 6, on both streaming and on-demand for Showtime subscribers. Then, it will air on Sunday, August 8, on the actual Showtime cable channel. If you are a Showtime streaming subscriber, you will be able to watch a new episode of "The L Word: Generation Q" Season 2 every Friday through October 8. However, if you are going to watch it on Showtime, the release schedule is slightly different. 

Following the Season 2 premiere, new episodes will be released weekly on Sundays. That is, until it's time to watch the sixth episode. This episode will be released on Monday, September 13, and following this, the remaining Season 2 episodes will be released on Mondays. Showtime viewers will then wrap up Season 2 when the finale airs on October 11. The reason behind this unusual release schedule is still unclear. It's also a notable departure from the standard weekly release model for television — one that "The L Word: Generation Q" Season 1 followed when it was airing from December 2019 to January 2020.

There may have been more than enough drama to hold viewers' attention throughout Season 1, but it didn't scare away key players in "The L Word: Generation Q" cast. Per TVLine, the returning cast for Season 2 will include original "The L Word" stars Beals, Hailey, and Moennig. In addition to these "L Word" alums, Season 1 stars Arienne Mandi (Dani Nuñez), Jacqueline Toboni (Sarah Finley), Rosanny Zayas (Sophie Suarez), Leo Sheng (Micah Lee), Jordan Hull (Angelica Porter-Kennard), Stephanie Allyne (Nat Bailey), Jamie Clayton (Tess), and Sepideh Moafi (Gigi Ghorbani) will also be back for the new season.

There will also be some exciting new — but very familiar — faces joining Season 2 in recurring supporting roles. The guest roster includes Rosie O'Donnell ("SMILF"), Griffin Dunne ("This Is Us"), Donald Faison ("Scrubs"), and Vanessa Williams ("The Flash"). In a March 2021 interview with podcaster Jess Rothschild, O'Donnell revealed she will play a lawyer who also happens to be the fiancée of Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), Bette's partner in the original "L Word" series. Additionally, per a Deadline casting announcement from December 2020, we know Faison will play Alice's book editor, Tom, and Dunne will play an art dealer who forms a relationship with Bette. Williams will also be involved in Bette's Season 2 arc as Pippa Pascal, an artist who has grabbed Bette's attention in a major way (via Variety).

Season 2 will plunge viewers back into the heart of a variety of dramatic arcs, including some of which were left open-ended in the Season 1 finale. Where old threads are concerned, we'll hopefully learn who Sophie chose to be with after her intense love triangle with Finley and Dani. At the end of Season 1, Sophie was meant to marry Dani in Hawaii but, before their big day, ended up hooking up with Finley. After losing her mayoral race at the end of Season 1, Bette will be looking for a fresh start (as indicated in the Season 2 teaser), reopening her heart to love once more and grow in her relationship with her daughter Angie. Per showrunner Marja-Lewis Ryan in a January 2020 interview with TV Insider, "The idea is that [Bette] will meet someone and her life will go on and that she's open to the possibility of love again," but it's unclear who exactly will catch her eye. Perhaps that new artist, Pippa Pascal, will figure into this arc as Bette re-enters the LA art world?

Elsewhere, it looks like Alice will be pursuing a new career as an author with her supportive editor, Tom, by her side. It seems things fell apart for the "L Word" character after she pushed the limits on her show and ultimately broke with upper management to broadcast the content she wanted at the end of Season 1. Alice's love life will also figure into Season 2 as she and Nat pursue their relationship following their failed polyamorous triad with Gigi, who will have some tension with the new couple going forward.