L Word creator Ilene Chaiken's
spinoff of the popular lesbian drama appears to have unspun. Variety
is reporting that Showtime has passed on The Farm after
screening the show's pilot.
The Farm picks up where L
Word ended, with the murder of the show's most conflicted
character, Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner). The series is set in a
women's prison and includes both lesbian and straight characters.
Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) winds up in that prison, accused of
being Jenny's murderer.
But Chaiken never revealed the identity
of Jenny's murderer and the spinoff was certain to revolve around
Alice's quest to prove her innocence – a tempting twist providing
ample opportunities to revisit the ever popular ladies of L Word.
The show starred Famke Janssen, Melissa
Leo and Laurie Metcalfe along with Hailey.
AfterEllen.com, a blog devoted to
lesbian entertainment, lamented the loss: “With the L Word over
and The Farm unlikely to air, there are few regular lesbian or
[female] bisexual characters slated to appear on primetime cable or
premium TV in the near future. There are currently no lesbian
characters in regular roles on primetime broadcast TV, and only three
regular [female] bisexual characters.”
The ladies of L Word took their
final bows on March 8.
Gay Entertainment Report is a feature
of On Top Magazine and can be reach at ontopmag@ontopmag.com.