This year marks the 15th anniversary of The L Word's premiere on Showtime, and the internet exploded when it was announced Thursday that the reboot had been picked up for an eight-episode season to air toward the end of 2019. Confirmation that the reboot was moving forward came during the Television Critics Association's winter press tour, which also confirmed that original cast members Jennifer Beals, Leisha Hailey, and Katherine Moennig would costar in the series that will introduce several new characters.
Now there's even more good news for fans of the original L Word, since Sarah Shahi, who played Carmen de la Pica Morales in seasons 2 and 3, has said she will have a role in the reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Since exiting TheL Word, Shahi has worked continually in shows including Fairly Legal, Reverie, and Person of Interest, where she played the beloved queer character Shaw. But Shahi first made an impact with queer female audiences as outspoken DJ Carmen on The L Word, who nearly made it to the altar with Moennig's commitment-phobe Shane.
Shahi let the good news slip while appearing a the TCA tour to promote her recurring role on the upcoming Kevin Bacon drama City on a Hill, according to THR.
"[The L Word] was my first big gig. And to be a part of that, I don't think I ever really knew what I was stepping into until after and I started speaking with women and getting letters," Shahi said. "Just the amount of information that was sent my way about how impactful it was, it put me on this thing where it's like, everything I want to do from now on, I want it to have meaning and I want it to touch people."
"That was something I tried to do in Reverie and in Person of Interest and it's something I'm going to do in City on a Hill. To be a part of that sisterhood was so momentous for me. I'm more than honored that I can go back and re-create it," she added.
The actress even laid out a possible scenario for what Carmen may have been up to in the intervening years since Shane left her at the altar.
"Whatever she's doing, I feel like she's definitely still pining away for Shane," Shahi said. "For Shane, Carmen would be the one that got away. But I think that was a big game-changer for her. I'm not sure if she's still DJing or not but definitely something in the music-art world."
L Word creator Ilene Chaiken (Empire) will executive-produce the reboot along with the new show's showrunner, playwright and screenwriter Marja Lewis Ryan (The Four-Faced Liar). Beals, Hailey, and Moennig will also executive-produce the series.
The L Word ran for six seasons between 2004 and 2009.
