The Real L Word

Have you guys checked out Showtime's "The Real L Word" yet? At first glance, it's a typical docudrama in the vein of "The Real Housewives of New York" and "The Hills;" you know, cute characters doing quasi interesting things, having relatively boring conversations.

The twist, of course, is that these cute, "real" characters are all lesbians. And cliched as it might seem, there's something eminently groundbreaking about depicting lesbians and lesbian relationships in quasi interesting but ultimately boring light.

The Valentine's Day episode of "The Real L Word," for example, was a patchwork of interesting and mundane, certain characters and storylines standing out more than others. But seeing ALL the couples enjoy their Valentine's Day was nice. The entire episode could've been seen as a hammy, overstated plea for legal gay marriage, sure -- "Hey, we're just like straight people! We have romantic Valentine's Days! We're not deviants!"

But for those of us who already agree that marriage should be equal for everyone, it was cool just for how uncommon the whole thing was. Seeing four or five lesbian couples just enjoying themselves was pretty great. It's not appointment TV, per se, but it's a reality show that actually has a lot to teach the uninitiated.

Also, boobs. Thanks Showtime!