5/5 So... what is it about?
  by JB (Europe)
Museum director Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) and executive Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman), a committed couple for 7 years, are planning to start a family.
Their next-door neighbor is swimming coach Tim (Eric Mabius), who is preparing for his girlfriend, Jenny ( Mia Kirshner),a talented young writer, to move in. Soon after mixing with Bette and Tina's circle of lesbian friends, Jenny learns that her Midwest background may not have prepared her for what she will soon learn about life, lust and love in Los Angeles.

Bette's sister, Kit (Pam Grier) is battling with her alcoholism and trying to keep her music career going. Dana (Erin Daniels) struggles with her identity as a closeted lesbian while advancing in the world of professional tennis.
Shane (Kate Moennig), an assistant hair stylist by day and resident player by night, always keeps the women satisfied. Writing for a local magazine, Alice (Leisha Hailey) makes sure she's in the know about everyone and everything. Their lives and loves are discussed and played out at the local coffee shop/club, The Planet, run by Marina (Karina Lombard).

The L word is most definitely one of my favorite shows. I can't wait to own it on DVD. The story is well written, the characters engaging. This first season also has excellent guest stars including Ossie Davis, Holland Taylor, Lolita Davidovich, Rosanna Arquette and many more. This series gets my highest recommendation.

As for the DVD itself:
The episode list:
1.1 Pilot
1.2 Let's do it
1.3 Longing
1.4 Lies, lies, lies
1.5 Lawfully
1.6 Losing it
1.7 L'ennui
1.8 Listen up
1.9 Luck, next time
1.10 Liberally
1.11 Looking back
1.12 Locked up
1.13 Limb from limb

Extra DVD features include:
- An Original Puppet Show Performed by the Cast
- Photo Gallery
- Audio commentary by Ilene Chaiken and Jennifer Beals on the pilot episode


4/5 The L Word is great, but DVD box set is lacking
  by S. Stinson (Oklahoma USA)
At long last, the entire first season of the L word is out on DVD! And while fans of the show are undoubtedly thrilled, as a DVD buff, I was less than thrilled with the lack of extras on the set. Any fan of Star Trek or Xena knows box sets covering those TV classics are chock full of extras such as bloopers, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars, commentaries, and more. Early reports said this box set would have some such content, but it evidently didn't make it into this season's offering.
While the box set does have an extra disc dedicated to special features, most of these features have either been seen on Showtime or available in print-form on the Web. For example, "the L Word Defined" is a special that Showtime aired several months ago while promoting TLW, and while it's always nice to watch reruns, once is normally enough. There are some behind-the-scenes featurettes about the fashion designers, and we get to see a little bit of what goes into dressing the character of Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), and the process dressing each of the characters. We get cast bios, some selected fan mail, and a Season 2 preview (which is also currently running on Showtime).
The most original, and probably the funniest, piece on the set is a puppet show created by the cast. A spoof based on Marina and Jenny's first meeting, it will crack you up laughing. Evidently, these ladies have entirely too much time on their hands or have a damn good time hanging out together. Either way, it's pretty darn funny. Kudos to the creators!
Even though it's not as packed full of goodies as we'd like, it's still nice to have all the episodes of the L word on DVD without worrying about someone erasing the TIVO! Enjoy!

5/5 Loving these Lovely Ladies
  by James Hiller (Beaverton, OR)
Perhaps the L Word originally intended to cast a net to catch a small niche audience; women wanting to see their lives represented on television. The end result of the L Word, however, casts a large net by telling compelling, interesting stories of compelling, interesting women.

Set in in the great sin city, Los Angeles, the L Word tells the story of several women who are friends. Bette and Tina, the show's "power couple", start the series trying to concieve a child and suffer the problems of finding an adequate sperm donor. Tennis player Dana is just starting to come to terms with her orientation and the demands of a burgeoning successful career. Writer Alice, the group's bisexual, plays sweet while dealing with a kooky mother and a male "self-professed lesbian". Shane, who starts out as the show's loose cannon, grows into her character as the episodes progress to a complex woman actually dealing with strong feelings. And then there's Tim and Jenny, who test the bounds of their relationship when Jenny starts an affair with coffee shop owner, sultry Marina. Each of these women are self-realized and very real.

Kudos goes to the women who play these characters honestly, and realistically. You can see each of them grow into their performances as they get comfortable in their characters skins, especially with Jennifer Beals portrayal of Type-A Bette. Also, kudos to Mia Kirshner, who gives Jenny's struggle through the first season real heart and intrigue. She is everyone who has ever struggled with their sexual identity, and Mia nails the struggle on the head.

However, it's one Pam Grier, who plays Bette's straight sister Kit, who will run away with your heart as she wrestles with the demons of her alcoholic past. Pam is absolutely luminous in her role; somehow managing to play each scene with dignity and sorrow. If one should be turned off by the content of the show, one should watch it if only for Grier's beautiful performance.

And the content of the show is definitely not for everyone. Easily offensive to those people who prefer one closed-minded version of the world, the L Word may not be for them. However, for the rest of us who love a good story, and who love to see strong women characters dealiing with life's issues, the L Word should be on our must-see list.

4/5 Good Show, Fun Cast, Easy To Watch, Good Guest Stars
  by turtlex (PA USA)
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If you're considering this boxed set, then likely you've already seen the show. There's a lot written about the plot, characters and cast, so I thought I'd take some time to review the Bonus Disk in this set.

Disk 5 - in the same case as Disk 4 - contains Bonus Features. All of which are explained below :

Fashion Extras - This is a behind the scenes feature with the fashion consultants for the show. It shows them shopping for each characters wardrobe and includes a fitting session with Erin Daniels (Dana).

Puppet Movie - This is actually worth the price of the set. It's a terrifically funny "mouth puppet" presentation by some of the cast. It includes a recap of several scenes and show an appreciation of a cast that does not take itself too seriously. My particular favorite part is towards the end, where we see their trailers. I laughed out loud. This is a keeper.

The L Word Defined - Basically the extended promo that appeared on Showtime. There's a lot here about how the L Word is NOT the Lesbian Queer As Folk. To quote Guin Turner, the L Word has "a lot less drugs and a lot less dancing". You have to love her for that. We'll excuse the fact that QAF does feature two pretty fabulous lesbians.

Wardrobe Closet - This is just a still photo gallery with information on each character that also directs you to a website for more information. Do we need more information on their clothes? Um, anyone? Painfully, there is no background soundtrack on this feature.

Season 2 Sneak Peak - Just that, a montage of snippets from upcoming Season 2 episodes. Lots of teasers and glimpses of guest stars.

Power-Up Panel - This is a moderator lead panel discussion featuring some of the cast, producers and Showtime execs talking about the show. Power-Up is a professional organization for lesbians and women in the Entertainment, Arts and Media fields. You can check out their website. This is an interesting feature, though the camera work is shakey.

Fan Mail - Well, its basically... fan mail. Yes, you read that right, this is still pictures of women who wrote in praising the show, and typed out versions of their letters. Again, painfully, there is no background sound track. I guess it's cool for the women featured, but otherwise, I was sort of bored.

Biographies - Again with the still picture (would putting in clips have been so difficult) and a type written bio on each featured actress/actor. Again no background music or soundtrack. You can get this information anywhere, and incase you didn't know... Jennifer Beals was in a quiet little film called "Flashdance" before starring in The L Word.

Photo Gallery - Finally, some music! This is stills from the show, cast and crew, edited to music. Some you've probably seen already, from the Showtime website.

Previews - No, not of the L-Word but of other Showtime programs: "Fat Actress" and "Queer As Folk" (dvds).

Promotions - Well, at least they tell you what you're getting. Basically, commercials.

Though I've read several descriptions indicating a gag/blooper reel. I was not able to find out. It's possible that it's hidden, read "as an Easter Egg", but I haven't been able to locate it yet.

Hope this was helpful. Enjoy your set.

5/5 A definite must-see!
  by Roy (my house)
When I first heard the premise for The L Word, I was pretty skeptical. A show centering around a group of lesbians seemed very gimmicky. Still, I decided to take a chance on it and give it a try because it seemed like something different from what is usually offered on television.

It's a good thing I did. The L Word is probably the smartest, most thought-provoking, sexiest, and, most importantly, incredibly entertaining show to premiere on TV in years. By the end of the first episode, I was already caught up in the lives of these great characters. What struck me most was that I found myself forgetting these were lesbians. I came to think of them simply as people trying to live their lives the best way they could, which is what the writers were trying to go for.

The acting is just terrific. Jennifer Beals is so good, she makes you forget she is the girl from Flashdance very quickly. Her best scene is when she is facing off against Faye Buckley on a TV show and is hit with an incredibly hateful critique. In my opinion, Mia Kirshner had the trickiest part as Jenny, the wide-eyed straight girl who almost instantly begins a same sex relationship with the very beautiful Marina. Many times I was rolling my eyes at what this girl was doing because she just seemed so aggravating, but she always seemed like a regular person caught up in an emotional whirlwind, which is a testament to Kirshner's skills. Really, though, the entire cast is great. By the end of the season, I couldn't find a weak link at all. Everyone cared about their character and it shows on screen.

The writers also need to be commended. There were plenty of times when I didn't know why a character was doing what they did, but a few episodes later their reasoning would subtly be revealed, making it seem reasonable. Every character went through an emotional turning point by the end of the season, giving us an entire cast of well-developed characters, another rarity in television.

I highly recommend this show. It is incredible and when the sad final scene is finished on the season finale, you will be left wanting more. Pick this up and find out for yourself what you've been missing.