SERIES PREMIERE ET DEC 8 10PMPT INTRO

Letter from Marja-Lewis Ryan

I was 19 when ® first aired, and Ilene Chaiken’s original series made me believe that my voice mattered. It profoundly influenced both my personal and professional life. For the first time ever, I saw myself reflected both on screen and behind the camera. The power of that really can’t be underplayed. It allowed me to dream up the career that I have now.

I met Ilene a few years ago when we were both hired to write on a feature. A few months after that job ended, I sent her an email to congratulate her on The Handmaid’s Tale. She sent me an email back asking me if I wanted to pitch to create an L Word reboot. As you could imagine, I thought it was a joke.

After a handful of surreal meetings, here we are, 10 years after Ilene left off with her original version, I get to pick up with my new one: THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. I describe my take as: queer, confident, aspirational, and joyful. I remind my collaborators that even as the world has changed, normalization is still radical. Our audience still needs to know that queer people are just people; they have jobs and they get coffee.

I am beyond excited for the opportunity to usher in the next generation of diverse queer people. A generation that looks like does now. I couldn’t imagine a better time to make this show. The teenager in me is just tickled to be given the distinct pleasure of standing on mighty shoulders and putting my own spin on the show that changed my life.

Marja-Lewis Ryan Executive Producer / / Writer THE L WORD: GENERATION Q CAST BIOS

JENNIFER BEALS

JENNIFER BEALS is an internationally renowned actress with more than 90 credits to her name, including critically-acclaimed feature films and some of the highest-rated series to date. For her performance as Bette Porter on The L Word®, Beals received the prestigious GLAAD Golden Gate Award, as well as two NAACP Image Award nominations and a Satellite Awards™ nomination. In 2012, Beals was presented with the Human Rights Campaign’s ‘Ally for Equality Award’ for her support of the LGBTQIA community. Additionally, Beals and The L Word’s executive producer Ilene Chaiken are set to executive produce the series The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo, an adaption of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s acclaimed novel. Beals and filmmaker Tom Jacobson created the concept for the new novel, The Hive, which was named one of People’s ‘Best Books of Fall 2019.’

Throughout her accomplished film career, Beals has worked with many of the industry’s most acclaimed filmmakers and talent. She co-starred alongside Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in The Book Of Eli, and starred opposite Garry Marshall, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser in The Twilight Of The Golds, for which she won a Golden Satellite Award. Beals was featured among an all- star cast in the crime thriller Runaway Jury. Other notable film credits include The Madonna And The Dragon from legendary film director Samuel Fuller, Manhattan Night, A House Divided, In The Soup, Mrs. Parker And The Vicious Circle and After. For her role in the iconic film Flashdance, Beals earned a Golden Globe nomination as well as an NAACP Image Award for ‘Lead Actress.’ She earned another NAACP Image Award nomination for her work in Devil In A Blue Dress.

On television, Beals recurred in the series The Last Tycoon, receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Hollywood starlet “Margo Taft.” Beals was also seen in Taken, the adaptation of the hit movie franchise, and co-starred in the series Swamp Thing. Beals starred in A Wife’s Nightmare, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination. Notable television credits include Proof, The Night Shift and The Chicago Code. CAST BIOS

KATHERINE MOENNIG Shane McCutcheon

KATHERINE MOENNIG is a critically-acclaimed actress whose work spans film, television and theatre. In addition to reprising her role as Shane McCutcheon in THE L WORD®: GENERATION Q, she also serves as an executive producer. Most recently, Moennig was seen starring in the SHOWTIME® drama series alongside , Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok, as well as portraying “Professor Hewson” in the breakout series Grown-ish. Moennig’s film credits include the neo-noir legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer directed by Brad Furman and the independent drama Lane 1974 directed by S.J. Chiro.

LEISHA HAILEY Alice Pieszecki

LEISHA HAILEY grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska, and began acting at an early age, appearing in many local productions. Encouraged to pursue the craft, she earned admission to and graduated from the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in . Hailey made her film debut in Fine Line Features’ memorable 1997 independent feature All Over Me. She has appeared in many television shows (Silicon Valley, Bosch, Boy Meets World, CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Drop Dead Diva, The New Normal), but it was her breakout role as series regular Alice Pieszecki on The L Word® that gained her critical acclaim. Her passion for acting is matched by one for music. She recorded three albums for MCA/Universal Records with her first band, The Murmurs. Her most recent band, Uh Huh Her, has toured internationally and sold albums worldwide.

JACQUELINE TOBONI (Sarah) Finley

JACQUELINE TOBONI’s past television credits include three seasons of Joe Swanberg’s anthology series Easy and her role on Grimm as the beloved “Trubel.” Film credits include Marja-Lewis Ryan’s Liked, The Bygone opposite Shawn Hatosy and The Stand At Paxton County with Christopher McDonald. Her theater credits include Bugaboo And The Silent One and Three Sisters. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Toboni has also studied at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT), the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Movement Theatre in New York and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London. CAST BIOS LEO SHENG Micah Lee

LEO SHENG grew up moving between multiple communities; adopted with two moms, one of the only Asian kids in his classes, always gender-non-conforming, and then as trans. Born in Hunan, China and raised in a small city outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Sheng felt a bit like an outsider. And he was, but he came to embrace it and eventually claim it. Sheng realized he was trans when he was 12 and began his social transition in middle school. With the support of a local group for queer and trans youth, he found a way to share his story in his own words. Sheng later went public, documenting his medical transition online through Instagram, Huffington Post articles and MTV Voices. Through openly sharing his journey on social media, opportunity knocked and he answered – people were listening. After an extensive search, Sheng was cast in the role of “Ethan” in the feature film Adam, official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, as well as L.A. OutFest and World Pride NYC: Stonewall 50.

ARIENNE MANDI Dani Núñez

A native of Los Angeles, ARIENNE MANDI is a talented, multiethnic actress who was drawn to the arts from a young age. She participated in various small stage productions throughout elementary and high school. After graduating, she went on to Santa Monica College and then UCLA, where she studied Communications, while still pursuing acting. Mandi was soon cast as the lead in the independent feature Baja, which was distributed theatrically by Gravitas Ventures. On the small screen, she has appeared on a number of series, including the CBS series Hawaii Five-0, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. She will also star in the second season of the Go90 series In The Vault. Mandi is also an impressive polyglot, fluent in Spanish, French, Farsi and English. Mandi is most excited to share her work as the complicated Dani Núñez and is proud to represent the LGBTQIA community.

ROSANNY ZAYAS Sophie Suarez

ROSANNY ZAYAS is a graduate of Juilliard. She has appeared in recurring roles on Orange Is The New Black, The Code, Elementary and Instinct. On the film side, she was recently seen opposite Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett in Cindy Chupack’s independent film, Otherhood, and she appears in Jonathan Lisecki’s upcoming indie film Modern Persuasion. On stage, Zayas has been seen in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Public Theater (Shakespeare in the Park) in New York. She recently performed the role of “Natasha” in the Roundabout Theater’s 29-Hour Reading of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters directed by Whitney White and spearheaded by Resident Director Sam Gold. CAST BIOS

SEPIDEH MOAFI Gigi Ghorbani

SEPIDEH MOAFI can currently be seen starring as “Loretta” in the critically-acclaimed series The Deuce, created by The Wire’s David Simon and George Pelecanos and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco. Previously, Moafi appeared as “Alexis Simmons” in the second season of Falling Water, as well as “Megan Byrd” on Notorious. She has also guest starred on , The Blacklist and Limitless. On film, Moafi is seen opposite Dash Mihok in Santiago Rizzo’s Quest, which debuted at Sundance, and in Robert Machoian’s upcoming film, The Killing Of Two Lovers. In addition to her on-screen performances, Moafi has graced stages all over the world. Most recently, she starred in Marisa Michelson and Jason Grote’s One Thousand Nights And One Day at ART/NY Mezzanine Theater. Other stage roles include “Rosalind” in As You Like It and “Juliet” in Romeo & Juliet. She has also performed in recitals in concerts at the Kennedy Center and Davis Symphony Hall. Moafi earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine. PRODUCER BIOS

ILENE CHAIKEN Original Series Creator / Executive Producer

Best known for creating The L Word®, ILENE CHAIKEN received an Emmy®, among many other awards for The Handmaid’s Tale. She was the showrunner for the first four seasons of the Golden Globe® nominated series Empire, and serves as executive producer of THE L WORD®: GENERATION Q. Chaiken recently renewed her multi- year producing deal with 20th Century Fox Television, where she is actively developing several new projects for broadcast, cable and television streaming services. Prior to that, she produced the SHOWTIME® docu-dramas ® and L Word : Hate The Sin, which won the GLAAD Media Award for ‘Outstanding Documentary.’ She also executive-produced pilots for Jerry Bruckheimer, McG and Joel Silver, and served as showrunner of the drama series Black Box. Chaiken serves as a member of the RISD Board of Trustees.

MARJA-LEWIS RYAN Showrunner / Executive Producer / Writer

MARJA-LEWIS RYAN was housebroken in , NY. Her seventh grade aptitude test determined she was most qualified to be a coin machine repairman, a bowling pin mechanic or a wig stylist. She holds an honors degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied with The Atlantic Theater Company. On stage, she wrote, directed and produced the world premieres of her plays Dysnomia, One In The Chamber, A Good Family and Bugaboo And The Silent One. She directed and produced the LA premiere and subsequent Off- Broadway production of David Mamet’s The Anarchist. She is executive producing an Untitled Dance Show for Sandra Bullock. In film, Ryan wrote and produced the indie The Four-Faced Liar, wrote the reboot to Splash to star Channing Tatum, and Buried Bodies for producer Noah Hawley. Her feature directorial debut 6 Balloons starring Abbi Jacobson and Dave Franco premiered at SXSW in 2018. EPISODE SYNOPSES

101 – “Let’s Do It Again”

Written by: Marja-Lewis Ryan Directed by: Steph Green Guest Stars: Stephanie Allynne, Brian Michael, Latarsha Rose, Carlos Leal, Freddy Miyares, Fortune Feimster, Sophie Giannamore, Joe O’Connor Co-Star: Jordan Hull

Ten years after we last left them, we now find Bette (Jennifer Beals) running for mayor of Los Angeles; Shane (Katherine Moennig) as she returns to the city after a setback; and Alice (Leisha Hailey) learning to balance co-parenting with her fiancée Nat (guest star Stephanie Allynne) and Nat’s ex-wife Gigi (Sepideh Moafi) and the rising success of her talk show. We meet PR exec Dani Núñez (Arienne Mandi), her girlfriend and TV producer Sophie Suarez (Rosanny Zayas), their best friend and roommate Micah Lee (Leo Sheng), and the charming former Olympic swimmer-turned-assistant, (Sarah) Finley (Jacqueline Toboni). EPISODE SYNOPSES

102 – “Less Is More”

Written by: Marja-Lewis Ryan Directed by: Allison Liddi-Brown Guest Stars: , Stephanie Allynne, Brian Michael, Freddy Miyares, Latarsha Rose, , , Carlos Leal, Jordan Hull, Sophie Giannamore Co-Stars: Laura Patalano, Jillian Mercado, Sofie Calderon

Bette (Jennifer Beals) weathers continued fallout as she prepares for an LGBTQIA Center talk. Meanwhile, Shane (Katherine Moennig) helps Finley (Jacqueline Toboni), while Alice (Leisha Hailey) is annoyed when the network forces her to bring on a new staff member. Dani (Arienne Mandi) and Sophie (Rosanny Zayas) celebrate good news as Dani begins a new job. Micah (Leo Sheng) pursues a new crush.

103 – “Lost Love”

Written by: Regina Y. Hicks Directed by: Sarah Pia Anderson Guest Stars: Olivia Thirlby, Stephanie Allynne, Brian Michael, Freddy Miyares, Jordan Hull, Latarsha Rose, Carlos Leal, Jamie Clayton, Mercedes Mason, Rex Linn Co-Stars: Laura Patalano, Christopher Wallinger

Bette (Jennifer Beals) prepares for an important mayoral debate. Meanwhile, Alice (Leisha Hailey) lands a huge guest and, at home, encourages Nat (guest star Stephanie Allynne) to branch out. Shane (Katherine Moennig) visits a bar and gets embroiled in the lives of two of its employees. Elsewhere, Dani (Arienne Mandi) and Sophie’s (Rosanny Zayas) families clash, Micah is unsure of where he stands with his crush, and a budding relationship forces Finley (Jacqueline Toboni) to confront some complicated aspects of her past. CAST & PRODUCER CREDITS CAST Bette Porter JENNIFER BEALS Shane McCutcheon KATHERINE MOENNIG Alice Pieszecki LEISHA HAILEY Dani Nùñez ARIENNE MANDI (Sarah) Finley JACQUELINE TOBONI Micah Lee LEO SHENG Sophie Suarez ROSANNY ZAYAS Gigi Ghorbani SEPIDEH MOAFI

CO-STARS (In Alphabetical Order)

Virginia SOFIE CALDERON Angie JORDAN HULL () Maribel JILLIAN MERCADO Nana LAURA PATALANO Drew CHRISTOPHER WALLINGER

GUEST STARS (In Alphabetical Order)

Nat STEPHANIE ALLYNNE Tess JAMIE CLAYTON Quiara LEX SCOTT DAVIS Heather FORTUNE FEIMSTER Jordi SOPHIE GIANNAMORE Angie JORDAN HULL Rodolfo CARLOS LEAL Lena MERCEDES MASON Pierce BRIAN MICHAEL José FREDDY MIYARES Felicity LATARSHA ROSE Rebecca OLIVIA THIRLBY CAST & PRODUCER CREDITS

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Executive Producer/ MARJA-LEWIS RYAN Showrunner/Writer Executive Producer ILENE CHAIKEN Executive Producer KRISTEN CAMPO Executive Producer ALLYCE OZARSKI Executive Producer STEPH GREEN (Pilot and Ep. 104) Executive Producer JENNIFER BEALS Executive Producer KATHERINE MOENNIG Executive Producer LEISHA HAILEY Co-Executive Producer REGINA Y. HICKS Co-Executive Producer MELODY DERLOSHON Producer TATIANA SUAREZ-PICO Casting by JOHN McALARY Executive Story Editor NANCY MEJIA Directors of Photography SANDRA VALDE (Pilot, Ep. 103, 105, 107) MOIRA MOREL (Ep. 102, 104, 106, 108) Production Designer SUZUKI INGERSLEV Costume Designer DEIRDRA GOVAN Music by JONATHAN SANFORD Music Supervisor KIER LEHMAN CONTACTS

East Coast Jamie Kekejian 212.708.8094 jamie.kekejian@.net

West Coast Morgan Fouch 310.234.5219 [email protected]

Photography Sara Kestlinger 212.708.1650 [email protected]

SHO.com/pressonline

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