Tag Archives: TV Show

New Batwoman Trailer offers first look at new lead Javicia Leslie in action

Javicia Leslie stars as the new lead in Batwoman and looks to play a role very different role from former lead star Ruby Rose, who portrayed Kate Kane.

Leslie will become the first black woman to play Batwoman and was excited for her new role.

Leslie said in July: “I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honoured to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community.”

New teaser footage shows New Batwoman, Ryan holding up Kate’s batsuit in homage to the former character.

She then proceeded to pop up behind a villain, upside down by the way, and yell “boo!”

The short clip suggests we are going to see a very light-hearted and fun version of the superhero, even giving off vibes similar to Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spiderman.

Last month Javicia, said that it was important her Batwoman has a distinctive look from Rose’s.

She explained: “I love the fact that Ryan is becoming her own Batwoman – it’s her style, her swag, and her moment.

“I felt it was important that viewers could tell by the silhouette that Batwoman was a Black girl.

“With the form-fitting suit and beautiful Afro, we definitely nailed it!”

Ruby Rose revealed part of the reason why she left her role on Batwoman was a back injury she sustained while filming.

The Lesbian Reboot of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Has Been Nixed

Last year we reported NBC was planning a big, lesbian reboot of Xena: Warrior Princess, but that reboot is apparently dead in the water.

The reboot, which was set to bring back co-creators Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, was going to focus more on the lesbian relationship between the Amazonian goddess and Gabrielle – played by Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor respectively in the original.

But problems occurred when it was announced that writer and showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost, The 100) left the project over creative differences.

When he left the project in April he wrote:

I’m heartbroken to have left the Xena project over insurmountable creative differences. The character is dear to me, and to millions of fans worldwide, and I truly believe that now — more than ever — a land in turmoil cries out for a hero. I truly hope that the alchemy of creative elements that has to come together to make possible either a reboot or revival of this amazing property will someday coalesce, and that Xena will return in a way that does honor to what came before while looking to the future.”

It was rumored that these creative differences stemmed from him wanting to put the lesbian relationship front-and-center, which lead to today’s announcement from NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke that the reboot won’t go forward at all.

Salke told the Hollywood Reporter.

Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn’t warrant the reboot.”

NBC says it hasn’t closed itself off entirely to a reboot down the line so, while you wait for them to get their shit together and make the right decision on this, catch up on the original show on Hulu.

LGBT Musical ‘RENT’ Heads to Television

TV and movie musicals have really taken off the last few years. Grease: Live made headlines for its star-studded cast and multimillion-dollar budget. La La Land was nominated for an Oscar. In 2016, Hamilton was filmed live on Broadway, to be released at some unknown point in the future.

And now, Rent.

Even if you’ve never watched Rent, you’ve probably heard the line “525,600 minutes,” AKA the number of minutes in a year, AKA Rent‘s most famous line from “Seasons of Love.”

Fox has just picked up the hit 90s rock musical for TV in order to introduce it a new generation of theatre-goers. Marc Platt, who won an Emmy for producing Grease: Live, is heading up the project.

Rent made headlines in the 90s for its edgy rock score, the likes of which had never been seen on Broadway before. Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer of Hamilton, credits Rent for showing him that musicals can push the boundaries of music.

But it wasn’t just the score that packed audiences when it opened. Rent tackles subjects that no musical had before – or since:

The show follows several starving artists in New York City, many of whom are queer. It features a prominent lesbian couple, as well as a gay couple where one of the men often wears drag. Most of the cast is also people of color as well. Several of them have AIDS, which is raging through the city without a solid cure; the one available drug, AZT, isn’t exactly a miracle drug. These queer artists of color can barely afford to feed themselves, let alone pay exorbitant rent prices.

But they’re not exactly saints – on top of queer issues, the show address gentrification. While the starving artists move into these apartments, they marginalize those who are even poorer than they are. The show is interspersed with homeless people begging for change. And our main characters often walk right past them.

Casting hasn’t been announced yet, but newly out Alia Shawcat would make an excellent Maureen. And can you picture Gina Rodriguez as Mimi?

What would your dream Rent casting be?

‘Empire’ Remember Tiana’s Bisexuality By Giving Her A Threesome With Rumer Willis & Hakeem In A Hot Tub

Rumer Willis is the newest star to have a stint on Empire, playing singer-songwriter Tory Ash – an addiction-riddled singer whose entire look on the show appears to parallel the life of Amy Winehouse.

Now, new stills from the hit drama show Willis character frolicking in a giant soapy bathtub with Tiana Brown (Serayah McNeill).

The ladies kiss and caressed each other in a hot tube, before Brown’s on-off boyfriend Hakeem Lyon (played by Bryshere Y. Gray) gets involved in the action.

Yet again, disappointing from a series that started out so strong and with positive queer visibility – especially with it’s handling with Jamal – it still leans on lusty lesbian stereotypes to boast ratings.

Which is super sad, considering the show was created by an out gay man (Lee Daniels) and showrunner Ilene Chaiken (creator of The L Word)

 

Lesbian Period-Drama ‘Shibden Hall’ In The Works

Sally Wainwright, creator of several well-known and successful series such as Last Tango in Halifax, To Walk Invisible, and Happy Valley, is currently working on a new lesbian-centered period drama series that will air on HBO, in partnership with BBC.

Wainwright has included lesbians before in Tango in Halifax, resulting to complaints and criticism by fans after one of her characters was killed. However she apologized and called it a mistake, after she realized about the “extraordinary numbers of lesbian characters [that] end up being killed off” on TV.

The eight-episode drama she’s working on, called Shibden Hall and set in 1832, tells the story of one of the most prominent modern “lesbian” figures in history, that of West Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister.

Anne Lister (1791-1840) was a wealthy landowner, diarist, and traveler. She kept diaries throughout her life, narrating everything that happened to her, including her concerns about her finances, her ideas on renovating Shibden Hall that she had inherited from her uncle, and her lesbian relationships. The latter were written in a secret code, a combination of algebra and Ancient Greek, which was eventually decoded between 1988 and 1992 by Helena Whitbread. She was also harassed for her sexuality in a conservative age and social context.

Her diaries are rich in lesbian experiences that could feel strongly relatable to many queer women even today. She declares: “I love and only love the fairer sex and thus beloved by them in turn, my heart revolts from any love but theirs.” What she loved to use as a “gaydar” with other women, was giving them books she had read and found rich in male or female homosexual subtext, and wait to see if they would catch the allusions and say anything about it.

Another period drama called The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister aired in the UK by the BBC in 2010, directed by James Kent, written by Jane English (using Anne’s diaries for a source) and starring Maxine Peake as the protagonist. Therefore, it isn’t the first time Anne Lister’s story makes it to the TV.

As for Sally Wainwright’s creation for HBO, there is a release explaining the upcoming show’s grasp of the story: “Charismatic, single-minded, swashbuckling Anne Lister – who walked like a man, dressed head-to-foot in black, and charmed her way into high society – has no intention of marrying a man.

“True to her own nature, she plans to marry a woman. And not just any woman: the woman Anne Lister marries must be seriously wealthy.

“Every part of Anne’s story is based in historical fact, recorded in the four million words of her diaries that contain the most intimate details of her life, once hidden in a secret code that is now broken.”

“The drama will explore Anne Lister’s relationships at home with her family, her servants, her tenants, and her industrial rivals, who will use any dirty tricks they can to bring her down. At its heart is her relationship with her would-be wife, the wealthy heiress Ann Walker.”

Wainwright says: “Anne Lister is a gift to a dramatist. She is one of the most exuberant, thrilling and brilliant women in British history, and I can’t wait to celebrate her.

“Landowner, industrialist, traveler, mountaineer, scholar, would-be brain surgeon and prolific diarist, Anne returns from years of travel to her ancestral home, determined to restore it to its former glory, and determined to marry Ann Walker.

“It’s a beautifully rich, complicated, surprising love story. To bring Anne Lister to life on screen is the fulfillment of an ambition I’ve had for twenty years. Shibden Hall is a place I have known and loved since I was a child.

“I’m also delighted to be working with Faith Penhale again and the wonderful team at Lookout Point after our collaboration on To Walk Invisible, and of course thrilled to be working with the BBC and HBO.”

The show will begin shooting next year.

 

Is Family Guy’s Meg Griffin About To Come Out As Lesbian?

Speaking about some of the show’s criticisms, Alec Sulkin has revealed how he plans to explore some of the more thinly-written characters in the animated sitcom, which includes potentially revealing Meg’s true sexuality.

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In an interview with Splitsider, Alec said:

There’s one story we have, it’s by no means final, but it would involve Meg coming out as a lesbian.’

Alec pointed out that aspects of her identity have been hinted at in the past, such as her pretending to be lesbian for social acceptance in Brian Swings and Sings.

And in futuristic saga Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, during the episode ‘Stu and Stewie’s Excellent Adventure’, it’s revealed Meg will transition after attending college and become known as Ron.

Sulkin added.

It would be interesting how we might handle both of those story lines. Sometimes, we do things that go against continuity. We try to explain it, but sometimes, if it doesn’t fit in, we tend to make a joke about it.”

Mindy Kaling Is Creating a New Lesbian Comedy

If you loved the Mindy Project, then you’re going to fall head over heels for Mindy Kaling’s new series about a liberal lesbian couple who moves to conservative Middle America. 

The show, which is still untitled, follows a progressive lesbian couple named Laurel and Marisa. The women move with their teen son to Laurel’s hometown, a conservative small town in Kansas that may prove their expectations wrong.

For this project, Mindy Kaling has partnered with Mindy Project co-star, Ed Weeks, whom you’ll remember as the English doctor, Dr. Jeremy Reed. Weeks wrote the script with the writer of the long-running, award-winning British series Peep Show, Hannah Mackay – with the influence of Weeks, Kaling and Mackay, the series is guaranteed to be a side-splitter.

Not much is known about the series yet, except that it will be a single-camera comedy. Weeks and Mackay are no newcomers to the subject matter – last year, they sold a comedy about “a lesbian lothario and her cautious, straight male best friend.” That series appears to have died, but hopefully this new comedy will gather some steam. 

Lesbian and bisexual female representation on TV is at a high, but so is the death of those characters. At a time like this, lighthearted shows (presumably) lacking lesbian deaths are more than welcome. Hopefully Kaling will prove that a TV show can be successful without killing off every woman who loves another woman.

There’s no word on who will play Laurel and Marisa, but one can’t help but hope that we see more of Portia de Rossi, who plays the hilarious role of Lindsey Bluth in Arrested Development. And if there’s room for Ellen Page anywhere on the roster, no one will complain. We’ll just have to wait until next season to find out. Stay tuned!

While you’re waiting, satisfy your women-loving-women cravings with one of these must-watch web series.

Be Sure To Watch Hulu’s New LGBTQ Friendly Series, ‘Casual’

I am in love with ‘Casual’. Coming from a relatively dysfunctional family myself (or at least I feel we are!) this programme manages to be laugh out loud funny and also explore quite serious matters at the same time.

Basically the programme is about a woman, Valerie (played by Michaela Watkins), who is really quite neurotic, comical and recently divorced, and her teen daughter Laura (played by Tara Lynne Barr). After Valerie’s divorce they move in with her wealthy and irresponsible brother, Alex (played by Tommy Dewey)

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The whole family dynamic is great. They are all pretty much dependent on each other for one reason or another and the programme explores how this dependency basically keeps them all tied to each other. In this series we get to see Laura explore her bisexual side and become involved with another girl, Aubrey (played by Dylan Gelula).

Aubrey is openly gay and her and Laura instantly hit it off. They end up sleeping together at a frat party and Aubrey immediately assumes afterwards that they are in a relationship. Laura, however has other ideas.

I think this is what intrigued me the most about their relationship. How many of us have fallen for a straight girl only to have our hearts ripped apart when we realise we were nothing more than an experiment to them?

I have been in this situation myself, a few times in fact, but I never seem to learn. I vow never to get involved with a ‘straight’ girl again and then one comes along who grabs my attention and wham, I’m repeating history.

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But it’s not fair to blame the straight girl in all honesty, especially if they are honest with you, like Laura is to Aubrey. Aubrey knows Laura identifies as hetro but she still takes the chance.

Laura’s relationship with Aubrey takes another twist when she persuades Aubrey to take part in a threesome with her male friend, Spencer, who has terminal cancer. Apparently having a threesome with two girls has always been on his bucket list.

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Yep, him and all the rest of the male population! Aubrey reluctantly agrees but straight after it’s so obvious where Laura’s attention lies. Aubrey holds her hand after the event while Laura is gazing lovingly into the eyes of Spencer.

Yet Aubrey still doesn’t give up and kisses Laura in front of her mum, Valerie. At this point I am shouting at the screen willing Aubrey to just walk away. But alas, she ignores my heartfelt pleas and the next day she discovers that Laura has had sex with Spencer again, just the two of them. She says some harsh words to Laura and tells her how cold she is. Ooooh, I really did feel sorry for her.

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I’m not sure if this storyline will continue into the next episode or if we’ve seen the end of Laura and Aubrey. However, a good lesson can be learnt from this. If you know for sure you might just be an experiment, don’t go there unless you can contain your feelings. OK, I’m not saying that straight girls don’t ever fall in love with a lez, or another straight girl for that matter, but the chances are rare. The chances of you coming out the other end with a tattered heart is not.

Anyway, take a look at the series girls. I’m sure you will love it as much as I do.

The Originals Is Getting A Bisexual Werewolf

Fresh from her one-season run on the network’s contagion thriller, Christina Moses is jumping to The Originals in a recurring role.

According to Deadline, Moses’ character, Keelin, is a smart, strong resourceful ER doctor – and the last living werewolf of her line. She’s also openly bisexual. After the rest of her family was hunted to extinction, she went into hiding and since then she’s deliberately avoided getting too close to anyone. She lives in fear of being discovered by the wrong people and has no idea that she’s currently on a collision course with the Mikaelsons.

Moses will debut early into The Originals‘ fourth season, which is being held until midseason.

 

 

Could It Be? Writer Hints That New ‘Xena’ Reboot Could Be Super Queer Affair

After some “are they/aren’t they?” confusion last year, the Xena reboot is definitely moving ahead on NBC.

The network has already assigned executive producer, and writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach to the project.

And, if that name is familiar, it’s because Grillo-Marxuach is also a writer CW’s show, The 100, and was responsible for writing the recent controversial episode Thirteen. An episode in which we so the beloved character Lexa (Alycia Debnam Carey) killed off.

Lexa was a leading character, who was also the current love interest of lead protagonist Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor). However, when Debnam Carey signed on for the second season of Fear the Walking Dead as Alicia, The 100 knew they’d have to wrap up Lexa’s storyline before the actress left. They chose to kill her off.

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So how does this tie into the Xena reboot?

For years, fans of Xena have known the Warrior Princess and her companion Gabrielle were more than just friends. The network and the times just hadn’t caught up with them.

But in 2016 things look to be changing.

A fan of The 100 recently asked Grillo-Marxuach if the reaction to Lexa’s death would influence his writing on future projects like Xena.

 

His response was awesome:

I am a very different person with a very different world view than my employer on the 100 – and my work on the 100 was to use my skills to bring that vision to life.

Xena will be a very different show made for very different reasons. There is no reason to bring back Xena if it is not there for the purpose of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown sub-textually in first-run syndication in the 1990s. It will also express my view of the world – which is only further informed by what is happening right now – and is not too difficult to know what that is if you do some digging.”

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So, we wait with baited breath, and wonder if his words will hold true.

Jessica Jones’ Carrie-Anne Moss On What It’s Like Playing The Show’s Lesbian Lawyer

When Jessica Jones debuted on Netflix towards the tail-end of last year, it was (rightfully) praised by just about everyone.

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 10:  Krysten Ritter filming "Jessica Jones" on March 10, 2015 in New York City.  (Photo by Steve Sands/GC Images)

While some were eager for more episodes of the show (the Marvel series is just 13 episodes long), its first season featured a heart-warming female friendship, it centred on abuse victims getting justice for the crimes committed against them and it also gave us lesbian lawyer Jeri Hogarth.

Jeri Hogarth’s inclusion in Jessica Jones was monumental and not just because she’s the first lesbian in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Hogarth is also noteworthy because she’s not perfect and in fact, for most of the series, her actions make her largely unlikeable.

But after the show’s villain (Kilgrave) mind-controls Hogarth’s ex-wife Wendy into giving her a thousand cuts, you might just feel sorry for her. Or, she’ll give you something to debate at least.

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During the TCA press tour, AfterEllen asked Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Jeri Hogarth, whether it was Hogarth’s “morally ambiguous” character that drew her to the role:

Yeah, I was just excited about playing an interesting woman, right? An interesting character. And I loved that there was no cliché. I hate characters that are a clichéd or an idea. And ultimately that’s my job to not play it that way but the writing–it can be written that way. So that was very clearly put to me, it’s a human story and not any cliché.”

Moss also revealed her surprise when she read the script and found out that Wendy would be killed:

That was kind of like “Oh!” Because I kept kind of thinking maybe they’ll get back together, you know? That Jeri was leading with sex and maybe she’s gonna find–”Oh my god, what did  I do? Take me back!” I kept thinking that in my mind.”

While Moss also calls her character “honest”, “fierce” and says that that “she’s not bullshitting anybody”, the actor wouldn’t reveal her wishlist for Jessica Jones season two, explaining that she “wouldn’t want to limit myself by my thinking”.

Unfortunately, we have no idea when the second season of the show will be released or even filmed, as another Marvel/Netflix show, The Defenders, is also in the works. Watch this space.

Monica Raymund Explains Chicago Fire’s Lack of LGBT Characters

When it premiered in 2012, many queer female viewers started watching firehouse drama Chicago Fire.

While the show intrigued and excited with its tragedy and drama and the friendships between the emergency workers, lesbian character Leslie Shay (played by Lauren German) was also a huge draw to the NBC show.

Unfortunately, Shay was killed off as season three began, with the EMT being hit in the head with a pipe as Firehouse 51 went up in flames, and her colleagues were unable to save her.

Despite Shay’s death providing the emotional punch that the show’s writers were aiming for, many fans were upset and frustrated that once again, a lesbian character had been killed off on a television show.

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That’s not the only thing leaving LGBT fans unhappy though, as since Shay’s death, none of the Chicago franchise shows (including Chicago Med and Chicago P.D) have featured LGBT characters. During a TCA panel, AfterEllen asked the franchise’s creator, Dick Wolf, why:

The Shay character was written that way from the beginning. We don’t go out of our way, and we never have on any of the shows, to integrate specific groups. I think that that’s shortsighted. I think that if it’s a natural story development, it should be utilized, just like I’ve never counted heads in any of the shows and said, Oh, black, Hispanic, white.’ It doesn’t work that way.

You cast actors who you think are going to bring a new color to the palette, but I honestly  it has certainly not been avoided, but it is not something that the writers feel that they have to include. If there is a character who lends itself to any designation, we have absolutely no objection to using them or to developing characters who have that as part of their makeup.”

Out bisexual actress Monica Raymund, who plays Gabriella Dawson on Chicago Fire also offered her opinion on it, saying that:

I think that once you start trying to fulfill boxes to meet quota, you’re not operating from a place of artistry, you’re operating from a place of business. So I’m an artist, I will put my ticket in his hat, and say that if it happens organically that’s the way it should happen. I mean, we’re not on Showtime doing The L Word here, that storyline was about that community and those humans.

This is about first responders where some are straight, some are gay, and some are queer. So I think those characters will happen organically. But to put that as a priority, it’s like saying, ‘You need to cast more Latin actors!’ Maybe that conversation is better for the entire industry not just for our show. “

While many fans will agree that media needs to be diverse (both in terms of race and in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity), Raymund and Wolf’s words will do little to salve concerns.

With the Chicago franchise being made up of three shows, the lack of LGBT representation does stick out and many will argue that in order to reflect the diversity of those professions and represent its viewers, the show will have to do better in future.

Cartoon Network UK Censors ‘Steven Universe’ To Make It Less ‘Gay’

Steven Universe is the story of a boy that helps protect the universe with his gem powers alongside his three female sister/mother role models and superheroes Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl.

The show – which has already won praise for including a number of strong, female characters in a comparatively male-dominated genre – confirmed last year that characters Ruby and Sapphire are a lesbian couple, who are so in love they can’t bare to separate. The two female-presenting also combine to create the super-powered kickass warrior Garnet.

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The show is now playing in the UK, but cartoon is being censored, which has angered many fans.

The show has been edited to alter a scene that previously showed the two female-presenting characters dancing together. The UK broadcast replaced this intimate moment with frames of a male character’s face.

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Sadly, Cartoon Network UK is taking much-needed role models away from vulnerable kids,’ a petition reads, which has already been signed by over 2,000 people so far.

Steven Universe is a beloved series acclaimed for its ground-breaking portrayal of queer characters. I’ve heard many young people say it changed their lives. In the UK and Europe, CN UK have censored a romantic dance between two female characters, Pearl and Rose Quartz. Queer youngsters treasure and cling to this moment. The same episode (“We Need to Talk”) has plenty of hetero dancing and kissing, so it looks like they’re censoring this because it’s two women.”

Ruby and Sapphire not the only characters, with a queer feel. There is also on there are Pearl’s (seemingly non-platonic feelings) for Rose, Amethyst and Peridot’s crushes on each other and the fact that Steven and his best friend Connie joined together (fused) to become ‘Stevonnie’, a character of colour who uses ‘they’ pronouns.

When Cartoon Network in France did something similar, there was also outrage. The channel listened and let the original broadcast go out in future airings.

Cartoon Network UK has yet to respond to the petition.

ABC’s ‘The Fosters’ Just Released New Promo (Video)

The first half of The Fosters Season 3 had a whole lot of drama. There were breakups, hookups, break-ins and finally an adoption.

Things are looking up for Callie Adams-Foster (Maia Mitchell) going into the spring premiere of the family drama… yeah right.

Of course, we would expect nothing less after the summer finale left us with Brandon and Callie having sex right before Callie was officially surprise-adopted into the family, the return of Jesus (played by a new guy), and the departure of Jude’s boyfriend Connor.

We’ve also learnt that this season Stef will be dealing with a medical issue that she will clash over with Lena, so it looks like no one in the Adams Foster family is in the clear for a chill winter season.

Watch this preview for the new episodes of The Fosters! It all starts Jan 25 on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family!

Posted by The Fosters on Sunday, 27 December 2015

It all starts Jan 25 on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family!

Lesbian TV Twist Alert: Megan Fox and Cece To ‘Hook Up’ on New Girl’s Final Season

Out bisexual actress Megan Fox Regan is returning to our TV screens (Yes!), with a guest spot on the upcoming final season of New Girl.

Hannah Simone, who plays Cece in the show, shared with TVLine the upcoming storyline:

The first episode that they wrote for Megan revealed that my character and her character had a bit of a romantic past. By the end of that first episode, they’re in the shower together. So yes, her character definitely shakes things up.”

And according to Fox, Cece’s fiancée Schmidt (Max Greenfield) won’t respond well to news of Cece’s girl-on-girl backstory.

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Fox added;

Schmidt has a very difficult time dealing with that because he’s so insecure and possessive of her. I have to break him out of the rut.”

So not only do we get to see Megan Fox play queer on our TVs, but it turns out Cece is bisexual. Up until now, Cece has only had relationships with men on the show, most notably her fiancée Schmidt, who is not a fan of Megan’s character.

Reagan’s character is described as “a gorgeous, straight-shooting pharmaceutical sales rep” and despite the “shaking up” she does with her ex-flame, TVLine reports Regan will “have her eye on Nick” (Jake Johnson).

New Girl has only had one lesbian character in its four seasons: Jess’s gynaecologist Sadie (played by June Diane Raphael), who has appeared in six episodes.

New Transparent Trailer Will Get You Hyped for Season 2

Transparent season one was one of the brightest and best series to light up our screens last season.

In the first 10 episodes of the show, viewers are introduced to the dysfunctional Pfefferman family. In addition to mom Shelly, there’s queer daughter Sarah who leaves her husband for her ex-girlfriend, brother Josh who has a lot of growing up to do and youngest daughter Ali who is best described as ‘aimless’.

But the real focus of the show is that of their dad (‘moppa’) Maura who comes out to the rest of the family as a trans woman.

While the Pfeffermans are certainly unlikeable at times, the show, and Maura’s story in particular are honest, emotional and feel quite real and relatable (if not uncomfortably so at points).

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The Amazon Prime series is so good that itit has won multiple Golden Globes and Emmys; with the show’s creator Jill Soloway making headlines for her winners speech which addressed the United States’ trans civil rights problem.

With the first series of the show breaking so much ground, fans have been eager to get their eyes on Transparent season two.

S2 will kick off more or less right where we left it with the trailer offering us a glimpse of Sarah and Tammy’s wedding (which takes place in the season two premiere). But sadly, it doesn’t look like it goes well for everybody when the wedding photographer misgenders Maura, referring to her as “sir”.

In the episodes that follow, it doesn’t look like things get any easier for the members of the Pfefferman family either.

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Maura, who continues to embrace her identity as a trans woman, spends a lot of time laughing and hanging out with her fellow trans pals but we also see another family member lash out at her, telling her not to let her mother see her as a trans woman.

Meanwhile, Sarah seems to be hanging around her ex-husband (following on from their unresolved tension in season one), Josh and Raquel (despite having made up after that argument in the season one finale) may be on the rocks again, and while it’s unclear what’s going on with Ali other than swimming and getting a haircut, fans will be happy to see the entire family’s return.

Transparent season two returns in full on December 11, though the season two premiere is currently available via Amazon Prime Video.

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‘Master of None’ is the Diverse Comedy Show of Your Dreams

Let’s not beat around the bush: Hollywood has a huge diversity problem. From whitewashing existing characters of colour and all-white cast ensembles, to shows that are tragically heterosexual, there are a lot of deep-rooted problems in Tinseltown.

But, helping to challenge that is Netflix.

And while the streaming service may not be able to ‘diversify’ the problem singlehandedly (nor should it embrace diversity solely for that reason), it’s a blessing for those who want their media content to more closely resembles and resonate with them.

Case in point: Master of None. After falling in love with Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation and with his various stand-up comedy specials, he has now co-written a half and hour comedy show for Netflix that focuses on, pretty much all of the things that may be relevant to you and your interests.

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A good example of that is the episode “Indians on TV” in which Aziz (as New York-based actor Dev) accidentally gets a racist email from a studio head prompting an insightful and very funny conversation about how television studios won’t put more than one minority in anything for fear of making it an ‘Indian show’ or a ‘black show’. It also touches upon the use of make up changing an actor’s ethnicity as we have white actors playing characters of colour (or even light-skinned people of colour playing those with darker skin, e.g Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone in the upcoming movie, Nina)

Another good shout is “Ladies and Gentleman” in which Dev’s girlfriend Rachel, his friend Denise (who is black and a lesbian) clue Dev and Arnold (another member of their friendship group) in on what’s it like to live in the world where men are constantly ignoring women or outright treating them badly.

And there’s the episode “Parents” where Dev and Brian take their parents to dinner to learn about their immigrant stories and how they came to America.

While these would be Very Special Episodes on any other show, with Master of None it feels organic and, well, normal.

As a woman and/or as a person of colour, these are absolutely conversations that have been had at some point and because they’re written with knowledge and empathy it doesn’t feel like you’re being sold a storyline by someone who typed ‘feminism’ or ‘immigration in the 1960s’ into Wikipedia.

Perhaps Master of None can lead to another conversation there, not just about seeing characters like yourself, telling stories you relate to, on TV but for studios to embrace that behind the camera too.

For example, just like in the show, Aziz’ parents (who play his parents in Master of None too) emigrated to the States from India and the fact that Denise is gay (a character whose sexuality, by the way, is an important part of her identity but is never played off for laughs) is because out writer and comic Lena Waithe told the team behind the show what she’s really like, stories of her life, and Aziz and Alan [Yang who co-wrote the show with him] asked “why shouldn’t [Denise] just be gay?’”

Overall, it’s a very funny show that’s highly relatable for about 501 reasons. All 10 episodes of Master of None are currently available on Netflix so go and watch that right now and cross your fingers that it gets another season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bFvb3WKISk

Sense8’s Freema Agyeman Opens Ups About Leaving Her ‘Comfort Zone’ For Lesbian Sex Scene

Former Doctor Who star, and one of our favourite queer characters from Sense8 Freema Agyeman has opened up about leaving her ‘comfort zone’ while filming her first nude lesbian sex scene.

Sibling directors Lana and Andrew Wachowski (Bound fame) created the acclaimed Netflix series Sense8 earlier this year. The story focuses on eight individuals around the globe with a psychic connection

Not only was the show written by a trans* writer, but it also features an openly trans actress Jamie Clayton, who is in relationship with Agyeman.

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Speaking to the Big Issue, Agyeman opened up about the role – which featured a lesbian sex scene complete with a rainbow sex toy – and the show’s progressive trans and sexually fluid storylines.

The Wachowskis have always been massive heroes of mine. It was a significant chapter in my career on so many levels, playing a part that was so far out of my comfort zone.

It scared me in so many ways – it was my first American role, my first nudity, my first real love relationship. The pressure to convey that emotion authentically was a huge challenge.”

However, though the sex scene initially intimidated her, the actress added:

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Once you take your clothes off and dive in it’s strange how quickly it becomes comfortable. Fear is just a word.”

She added:

My inbox is flooded with people expressing gratitude, which blows my mind. I feel so honoured and proud to tell a story that people feel is truly representative of them in an area that’s so lacking in television.

There are a lot of channels that would argue they have LGBT relationships but we’re not talking about touching on it and moving on, it’s about fully exploring it.

Netflix is out there dancing to its own drumbeat. I can feel a momentum shift. TV is becoming so much more complex than it once was.”

Read the full interview via the Big Issue.

Marvel Introduces Its First Queer Leading Character

The first episode of Jessica Jones doesn’t go public until November 20th — and though we avoid major spoilers, you should turn back now if you want to go into the series knowing nothing.

So, a few days ago Marvel and Netflix dropped a bomb on New York Comic Con on Sunday when they offered up a surprise screening of the entire first episode of the highly anticipated Jessica Jones series.

It was also confirmed that the new show gives the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first lesbian character – attorney Jeri Hogarth played by Carrie-Anne Moss.

Moss, who probably remains best known for her work in The Matrix films, is playing a gender-swapped version of the male character Jeryn Hogarth from the Marvel comic books.

Hogarth is a high-powered lawyer who hires the titular Jessica (a super-humanly strong private eye) to serve a subpoena to a heavily guarded club owner.

While the women discuss the job during a late-night phone-call, a young woman slinks up behind the glamorous Jeri and begins nuzzling and nibbling her neck.

Just a few scenes later, we find out that this encounter is an affair, and that Jeri’s cheating on her female partner.

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It has also be reported that eponymous hero Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is bisexual or sexually fluid, with hints of a previous relationship with best friend Trish ‘Patsy’ Walker (Rachael Taylor).

Later in the episode, Jessica is in need of cash and, after dark, drops in to see Trish. Neither character says it outright, but the brief interaction heavily implies that they used to be a romantic item.

There’s talk of how Jessica used to discuss her most closely guarded emotional struggles until she pushed Trish away, there’s a palpable and melancholy attraction in their gazes, and there’s a sweet surrender to financial kindness on Trish’s part that is usually reserved for concerned former lovers.

This is seen as a big deal, considering that every Marvel movie thus far has featured a white straight male lead.

To date, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never shown us openly gay women. Indeed, the only depictions of non-straight characters in Marvel’s shared universe have been a recent episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that reveals a bit player to be gay and a regrettable, Blu-Ray-only short feature that shows Sam Rockwell’s Iron Man 2 villain alluding to having sex in prison.

Unlike those minor beats, Jessica Jones‘s queer relationship scenes are clearly integral to the internal lives of major characters, and are not played for laughs or for shock value. They’re sad, sweet, and subtle.

A Netflix series, of course, is a far leap away from a blockbuster film, but still, progress.

The new show is also raising eyebrows over its frank portrayal of sex in general, especially noting that Marvel TV and movies are generally pretty sexless.

Jessica Jones hits Netflix on Nov. 20.

Empire Season 2 Premieres And Sadly The Lesbian Stereotypes Come Out To Play

Last night saw the return Empire for it’s second season, and boy did we have mixed feelings about it all.

The show has always had gay edge, with showrunner Ilene Chaiken (creator of The L Word) making sure that queer women got their due.

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And now we have Marisa Tomei playing Mimi Whiteman in the mix – a powerful woman whose money is their to help the family out of a jam.

Mimi’s a lesbian, and her sexuality is a central plot point, since Cookie seems to be courting her business entirely through flirtation.

The ploy is ridiculous. It shouldn’t take any canoodling to see that the record label is a good investment.

What’s more, it’s disappointing for a show as sensitive and dynamic about queerness as Empire has been with Jamal to lean on lusty lesbian stereotypes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QJGsWah3YM

Tomei has signed up for a multi-episode arc so hopefully this character will be defined a bit more.

But besides Tomei, we’ll also be meeting Freda (played by newcomer Bre-Z ), a young lesbian rapper who intrigues Luscious.

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Bre-Z recently told Okayplayer about her role:

Between (Jamal Lyon & Freda Gatz’s character), their sexuality is not who they are. And I feel like that goes for anybody. None of your sexual likenesses are displayed in public view whether you’re with a man or a woman or the same sex. What you do in your bedroom is your business. There’s no need to make a spectacle of it, but you do have to acknowledge that it exists and treat people accordingly, and not be hateful and not a bully or taunt people because they may not walk in the same shoes as you do.”

Bre-Z’s first track for Empire is out now, called “Same Song,” which she describes as “a song about that struggle of being a young black girl… trying to pursue our dreams. All of us tend to sing the same old song. Some people don’t see no way out of that, but you got to make a way. It’s a little piece of me. I love it!”

Bisexual pop star Tiana (Serayah McNeill) and queer DJ Chicken (AzMarie Livingston) are also back this season, and Serayah teased that her character, who is now a series regular, will show more of herself, although no word on if her girlfriend will make a reappearance.

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Seryah told CY Interview

We’ve seen Tiana for the crazy things she’s done. But this season I think there’s gonna be a lot more in-depth with Tiana and her feelings and maybe some more of where she comes from and just seeing her more I think will give people more of an insight on my character.”

We will wait to see how these other stories play out.

Pretty Little Liars’ Marlene King and Shay Mitchell Discuss Emily’s Love Interests

Living in Rosewood hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for the characters of Pretty Little Liars.

As across the show’s six and half seasons, characters have been murdered and stuffed in boxes, they’ve been locked inside industrial freezers, they’ve been attacked with batting cage ball shooters and they’ve been kidnapped and implanted with tracking chips.

It’s surprising then that with all of this going on, the four titular liars have managed to have any sort of romantic relationships. All four of the show’s leads (Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Aria) have had various love interests, but it’s Emily’s love life that’s often talked about the most.

It’s become somewhat of a funny talking point amongst the show’s fans that Emily has had so many romantic partners: Maya, Paige, Alison, Talia, Samara and her latest love interest, Sara.

Fans have often joked about Rosewood’s multitude of queer women and it seems that Shay Mitchell, the actress who plays her, and I. Marlene King, who created the show, are in on the laughs.

In an interview with AfterEllen, the two women say that they discuss this a lot, with Mitchell suggesting that “maybe [Emily] is just turning [all of the women]” and King saying “who wouldn’t be gay for Shay, she’s so beautiful”.

As for who fans think that Emily should end up with, many fans support ‘Emison’, the portmanteaus for Emily and Alison’s relationship.

Alison was Emily’s first true love, so it’s unsurprising that there are many ‘die-hard’ fans, with Shay saying that sometimes when she does photoshoots, Emison fans will “superimpose [Alison’s] face onto whatever it is that [she’s] looking so lovingly at” and that when it comes to Emison, her motto is “never say never”.

King, on the other hand, says that “they don’t have to be sexually a couple to be ‘Emison'” and that “they always have that special connection”, noting that there is a cute Emison moment in the summer finale of the show which recently aired.

And what of Paily? The relationship of Paige and Emily? Paige and Emily have had one of the most well-supported relationships on the show, with Emily helping Paige discover her sexuality, but in season five they appeared to break up, with Paige’s family moving her to a different state to get away from Rosewood’s drama.

With Pretty Little Liars doing a five year time jump forward, however, there is a chance for them to reunite in some capacity. King notes that the show’s story does at least put them in the same state

Lady Gaga Brings Bisexual Character to ‘American Horror Story’

After much hype, the creators of American Horror Story have revealed that Lady Gaga’s new character will be bisexual.

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The series co-creator Ryan Murphy said that the pop star’s character will be a ‘wealthy, fashionable hotelier with a “nefarious plan” – and that her character will have steamy relationships with both male and female characters.

Lady Gaga plays a character who has relationships with Matt [Bomer] and Angela [Bassett] and Cheyenne [Jackson].

It’s sexier than any season we’ve done, particularly because of the Gaga of it, so I would say scarier and sexier.”

The series will see the return of Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett and Chloe Sevigny.

Watch she official trailer for Lady Gaga in American Horror Story here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxiHFGdeccA

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Ilene Chaiken Discusses Empire’s Queer Women, The L Word Reboot

One of the surprise breakout hits of the television season has been Empire. The TV show, created by filmmaker Lee Daniels, revolves around the Lyon family: their nefarious dad Lucious, three sons (Andre, Jamal and Hakeem) and the boys’ mother, Cookie Lyon who has just been released from prison after taking the fall for the dad’s crime.

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The show was praised by critics and fans alike not just for the way that it kept viewers on the edge of their seats, watching its power struggles, secrets and lies play out but also by the way that it embraced diversity.

The cast is predominantly African-American and one of its main characters – Jamal – also begins the show as a closeted gay man who struggles with the fact that his dad doesn’t accept his sexuality.

But Jamal isn’t the only one whose queerness is explored on the show as we also saw Tiana, the girlfriend of Hakeem, with her female love interest, India.

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Season two of Empire beings back Tiana but it also introduces another queer woman, a billionaire venture capitalist played by (Oscar-winning actress) Marisa Tomei. She has signed up for a multi-episode arc and Empire fans are eager to see how her character will get involved in the Lyon family drama and if she’ll be romantically involved with anyone too.

Speaking to After Ellen, Empire showrunner Ilene Chaiken says that

…she plays a really important role in the melodrama of Season 2. She’s a fabulous character. We’ve having loads of fun with her. But she also plays an important role in the soap, in the treachery, in the Cookie vs. Lucious and in the fate of Empire.”

And when quizzed on whether Tomei’s character is single, Chaiken gave a cryptic answer of “that remains to be seen”, though the show will make it clear that she’s gay as we learn her sexuality definitively in the season premiere. Chaiken wouldn’t say how that would be shown, but she did say that it’s “not subtle”.

Many Empire fans may also be hoping Tomei’s character gets together with Cookie Lyon. Chaiken says that the billionaire is a “womanizer” and that “she and Lucious might turn out to have similar taste in women”.

Then, when asked by AE on whether or not Cookie is interested in women, she notes that both she and Taraji P. Henson (who plays Cookie) maintain that although Lucious was the only man Cookie had ever been with, that didn’t mean that she was the only person she’d ever been with – after all, she had been in a women’s prison for 17 years.

As for Chaiken’s other show, The L Word, she also spoke to the publication about a possible reboot.

She says she would “love to [reboot the show], but we really need a compelling reason to do it” and that if it did come back “it would feature some of the original cast and a lot of new characters”.

 

Unfortunately, if it got greenlit, Chaiken says she wouldn’t be able to do it “right now” but that doesn’t rule it out completely forever.

So keep your fingers crossed for a return of the iconic talking, laughing, loving, breathing, and fighting group of queer women at some point in the future.

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Netflix’s ‘Sense8’ Gets a Second Season

Sibling directors Lana and Andrew Wachowski (Bound fame) created the acclaimed Netflix series Sense8 earlier this year. The story focuses on eight individuals around the globe with a psychic connection

Not only was the show written by a trans* writer, but it also features an openly trans actress Jamie Clayton, who is in relationship with former Doctor Who actress Freema Agyeman.

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The drama, which also explored the concept of gender and sexuality – featuring not only a trans character, but also a trans* women in a lesbian relationship – has been renewed by Netflix for a second season.

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Netflix confirmed the news, tweeting: “Birthdays are just the beginning. #sense8 is reborn.”

Netflix has not officially announced the plans to a press – but given the service’s usual model, the show is expected to return next year for another run of 12 episodes.

The show stars Aml Ameen, Bae Doona, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre and Brian J Smith.

 

Cartoon Network Execs Confirms Lesbian Romance on Show

A Cartoon Network show has become the first on its network to confirm two of its lead characters are in a lesbian couple.

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Steven Universe is the story of a boy that helps protect the universe with his gem powers alongside his three female sister/mother role models and superheroes Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl.

The show, which has already won praise for including a number of strong, female characters in a comparatively male-dominated genre, has now hinted at further diversity.

Characters Ruby and Sapphire – who are shown to be incredibly close on the show – sparked curiosity among some of the show’s adult fans.

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Responding to a fan’s questions on Twitter, the show’s former co-executive producer Ian Jones-Quarterly said…

When asked whether it is fair to interpret the pair as “nonbinary femme presenting lesbians”, he responded: “by human standards & terminology that would be a fair assessment!”

7 Reasons Why We Need ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Back on Our Screens

Great Xena: Warrior Princess maybe back on our screens.

So, here are 7 reasons why a Xena reboot is long overdue.

1. Because she dawned the age of the female superhero

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2. Because no one has battle cry was like Xena’s – Ayayayayayaya!

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3. Because an episode of Xena is basically a history lesson – from Trojan War and the political world of Julius Caesar, we saw it all.

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4. Because Xena and Gabrielle lesbian love story broke our hearts were

Long before on-screen couples like Alex and Piper could declare their love explicitly, Xena and Gabrielle just bathed wordlessly together.

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5. Because no one can accessorise like Xena can accessorise

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6. Because Gabrielle was the best sidekick, ever

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7. Because Lucy Lawless rocks

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Yes! ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Reboot in the Works at NBC

It time to get your battle armour ready, as Xena: Warrior Princess maybe heading back to our television screens – fifteen years after the last episode of the show aired.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the original executive producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, are apparently planning a “modern reboot” – however, the pair still want the show’s main star, Lucy Lawless, heavily involved – with insiders saying she will be working both on set and behind the scenes.

At this year’s Comic-Con, Lawless shared her frustration that a reboot has not yet been made.

I’ve been pitching that show … because … there’s a swell of interest still. I’m always being peppered with questions [about] when the Xena movie is coming. Guys, I’m pitching my ass off to make it happen, whether it’s with me or not. I think it’d be funny to have a reboot like Ash vs. Evil Dead — like middle-aged Xena in a muumuu with a bad attitude and a smoking habit. … Bring [actor] Ted Raimi [who played Joxer] in … [and maybe] Bruce Campbell.”

She added

I don’t know what the hold-up is; it’s about who has got the rights, but that’s a piss-poor excuse anymore. Find who has got the rights, freakin’ pay it. It’s better to have 80% of something than 100% of nothing. Don’t waste this opportunity; reinvigorate that franchise!”

During its six-season run, the show’s popularity excelled – largely due to Xena’s on/off lesbian relationship with her companion Gabrielle, with the pair now regarded as feminist and LGBT icons.

The news follows a report by TV watchdog Ofcom earlier this month, which claimed broadcasters are failing to make minorities feel represented on screen. The report revealed that a majority of the LGBT community feel that they are either under-represented on television or portrayed in a negative way.

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Revisiting Xena comes as reboots continue to be in high demand as broadcast and cable networks alike look to proven commodities (and fan bases) to cut through the clutter in an increasingly competitive scripted landscape. Key to their success is having the original producers involved.

For its part, NBC is also readying a Coach follow-up with star Craig T. Nelson. Fox, meanwhile, is bringing The X-Files back in January and has plans to produce another run of Prison Break after successfully reviving 24 on top of its film-to-TV take on Minority Report. 

First Look at Ruby Rose in Dark Matter

Check out the first look of Ruby Rose in her upcoming role on Syfy’s space thriller, Dark Matter.

Rose will play Wendy, an entertainment android who was designed and built for fun.

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After she comes to life, she charms the ship’s crew with both her ability to cook and her sexual prowess — but something will go wrong. Very, very wrong.

Out actress, Zoie Palmer, also stars in the show playing another android.

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Rose, 29, got her start on Australian MTV as a VJ, but has since turned to acting — and she says that landing the role of Stella on OITNB soon after moving to the US was definitely unexpected.

A month ago, Rose told EW

My first big job is maybe, arguably, one of the biggest television shows around at the moment with some of the best actors of our time.”

Rose’s Dark Matter episode will air Friday 24th July, at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.

 

Fox Releases First Footage of The X-Files Revival (Video)

This week, Fox unveiled the first look at the upcoming six-part event series.

The show’s social media accounts announced — via Twitter — that they’ll be counting down the 201 days until the 2016 revival by revisiting an episode a day of the original series.

And, as a bonus, the trailer for the re-watch features the first new footage of Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoIRNja8pMc

‘The Vampire Diaries’ Spoiler: Lesbian Couple Heading to The Show

Well here is a turn up for the books! The American TV network CW has just announced that The Vampire Diaries is introducing – wait for it – the show’s first same-sex couple.

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Although, it’s too early to tell the exact plot, the new characters already have particular descriptions. However, what we do know is two characters Nora and Mary Louise, are a dangerous duo of down-low lovers with murderous tendencies.

According to TV Line:

The vampires, both turned in their mid-20s, have kept their relationship a secret for more than a century, and although their connection is clear to those able to infiltrate their inner circle. Mary Louise’s constant doting can sometimes feel a bit smothery for fiery Nora’s liking. Still, anyone foolish enough to cross either of them will feel both their wraths.

There’s not much else know about the roles but we chuffed to hear the show is finally giving us some more lesbian visibility.

Season 7 of The Vampire Diaries premieres on October 7th on the CW.