Showtime readies "L Word" spinoff
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Showtime is working on a spinoff to its lesbian drama "The L Word," which will kick off its sixth and final season early next year.
Ilene Chaiken, the creator of the edgy series, is in the early stages of developing the spinoff, which will star one of the "L Word" actresses, said Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's president of entertainment.
The identity of the chosen actress has not yet been revealed to the cast, Greenblatt said during the Television Critics Assn. press tour at the Beverly Hilton on Friday.
Pressed for more details, he said only: "We're still forming it. I'm sure I have a million e-mails already from loyal viewers about it, but we're still in the process of figuring it out."
"The L Word," meanwhile, will end its run with an open-ended story line that will continue online. Should the spinoff get a series pickup, the story line will continue in the as-yet-untitled project, Greenblatt said.
Separately, the pay-cable network has ordered two additional 13-episode seasons of "Weeds" -- its fifth and sixth -- following on the heels of the comedy series' record-breaking fourth-season debut last month.
It has also ordered a seventh season of "Penn & Teller: Bull----!" -- making it the network's longest-running series.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
