From Pride & Beyond Premiere, Make The L Word: Generation Q Social 24/7 Queer.
About The L Word Hive
Ask any queer you know about The L Word and you’ll be in for at least an hour-long conversation discussing what the show means to them, their theories, what they love about it, what they want to see more of, and everything in between. When Showtime greenlit a reboot in 2019 called The L Word: Generation Q, we were re-introduced to a fandom that had stood the test of time from the original run. Our Challenge: Our IP made our audience feel seen at a time few other television shows did. How could we mirror that powerful connection to extend online?
ENTER THE FANDOM’S VERY OWN: NON-INTERN KELSEY
In Season 1, our Sr. Manager, Social Media, a diehard fan of The L Word hid behind the @SHO_TheLWord handles, commonly being referred to as the anonymous intern in line with Internet tropes.
However, as Season 2 neared one of our besties slid into the DMs and asked about "intern's" pronouns. Non-intern Kelsey took this as an opportunity to set the record straight that she uses she/they and is in-fact not an intern. Non-Intern Kelsey (she/they) was born.
WITH A YEAR BETWEEN SEASONS, THE FANDOM WAS THIRSTY. NON-INTERN KELSEY KEPT THEM FED.
Within The L Word community, Non-Intern Kelsey became the #1 source and #1 bestie for super fans. She was who they turned to ask nicely for demand updates on everything from a trailer, to a Premiere Date, to a first episode. She never let them down.
COME SEASON 2, IT WAS TIME TO PARTY!
With The L Word: Generation Q episodes streaming every Friday, weekends became a celebration for fans. We joined in.
FRIDAY: LGBTQIA+ owned bars across the country hosted SHOWTIME-sponsored viewing parties – filled with trivia, swag, photo booths, and even surprise drop-ins from talent (OMFG!)
SATURDAY: We gabbed our way through 60 minutes of queer content via deep dives into every episode with our fans.
SUNDAY: The party continued with Twitter Spaces conversations that highlighted the most jaw-dropping moments of the week and our theories on what would happen next.
WHEN WE WEREN’T PARTYING (WHICH WAS ALMOST NEVER), WE CREATED HYPER-SHAREABLE QUEER CONTENT.
Inherently Queer Moments:
Trending Moments:
Bestie Moments:
ALL THE FUN CULMINATED IN A NON-INTERN KELSEY FACE REVEAL
Slowly over the season, fans learned more information about Non-Intern Kelsey. Their pronouns (she/they), their name and voice (live on Twitter Spaces!), their ships (#TibetteIsEndgame) – but one question remained: wtf does Non-Intern Kelsey look like? At the finale watch party, all was revealed in a sincere thank you from “the queer that runs this account.”
Results
THE L WORD SOCIAL PRESENCE BECAME SHOWTIME’S 3RD MOST ENGAGED COMMUNITY OF 2021.
THE L WORD BECAME THE 4TH MOST TALKED ABOUT SHOWTIME SERIES OF 2021.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT INCREASED BY 2X COMPARED TO SEASON 1.
REQUEST FOR DATES + COMPLIMENTS FOR NON-INTERN KELSEY DOUBLED.