The L Word

A dramatic series that is steamy, provocative and filled with smart dialogue and richly drawn characters, none of whom are entirely predictable. [15 Jan 2004]

The L Word may in its way do some sort of good, in addition to being wickedly provocative drama and undeniably seductive TV.

The dialogue is often sharp, well-observed and very funny. It is sexy and, occasionally, raunchy in both language and love-making. The cast members make the lead characters warm and interesting. [16 Jan 2004, p.7G]

It's slick, stylish and oh-so-sexy, but plausibility is a comparatively low priority for this second-year series about a circle of L.A. lesbians.

Like "Queer as Folk", this drama about lesbian friends in Los Angeles too often settles for slick melodrama and racy content. Premium cable can offer wonderful freedom, but that's no excuse for resorting to sex scenes with such frequency.

The dialogue is stuffy, the stories are predictable and, while the idea of a show all about beautiful gay Los Angeles women is interesting, this comes off like a second-rate "Melrose Place" with pretensions of depth. [16 Jan 2004, p.53]

The problem is, those aspects of the show that are not about lesbianism are tedious, and those that are, are predictable.