In
an unusual move, UPN recently gave a pilot commitment
to a new drama about two lesbian private detectives in New Orleans--unusual
because there hasn't been a television series about lesbians
on network TV since Ellen's last attempt at a sitcom in 2001,
and because there has never been a drama about lesbians
on network TV, period.
Written
and produced by Nancylee Myatt (Wave
Babes, Living Single) and Leonard Dick (Tarzan),
the potential new series is titled Nikki and Nora and
stars Liz Vassey and Christina Cox in the title roles.
Cox
starred in the lesbian-themed indie film Better Than Chocolate
and also had a prominent role in the sci-fi series F/X;
she has guest-starred in multiple series, including Mutant
X, CSI: Miami, and Cold Case. Vassey's
first role was as a teenager on All My Children from
1988 to 1991, and she most recently starred in the short-lived
series Push, Nevada and The Tick; in-between
she has guest-starred on everything from Beverly Hills 90210
to ER to Two and a Half Men.
UPN
has been known primarily for its African-American sitcoms and
wrestling shows in the past, but America's
fifth-largest network has been attempting to branch out in the
last few years with shows like America's Next Top Model,
which became a big hit, and dramas like The Haunting
and The Twilight Zone, which didn't. Dramas in general
have not been big winners for UPN (aside for Buffy
the Vampire Slayer), but that doesn't seem to be deterring
them: UPN currently has five other dramas (Beck and Call,
Kevin Hill, Mystery Girl, Silver Lake, and Veronica
Mars) in development for next fall besides Nikki and
Nora--and only one or two will be rewarded with a place
on UPN's fall lineup.
It's
an encouraging sign that a series revolving around
lesbian characters is even in consideration for the fall lineup,
however. No doubt the success of both The
L Word and Ellen Degeneres'
talk show have made this more possible than it was even
a few years ago, but network television is still the land of
double-standards when it comes to lesbian characters and their
relationships, so don't expect Nikki and Nora to be
a network version of The L Word.
It's
no accident that the first lesbian drama with a real possibility
of getting on network TV is a detective series: not only is
this a very popular genre with audiences, but detective series
traditionally focus more on the crime-of-the-week than the character's
personal lives. Nikki and Nora will most likely
mimic shows like CSI and NYPD Blue and only
minimally deal with the main characters' personal lives, allowing
UPN to still be seen as progressive in order to attract younger
viewers, without offending too many older or more conservative
viewers.
Even
if the women's personal lives take a big back seat
to their professional ones, however, it will be a large step
forward for lesbian visibility simply for Americans to see two
lesbians on-screen every week (as long as they don't fall victim
to the fate of most TV lesbians and quickly become pregnant,
psychotic, or dead).
And
if Nikki & Nora doesn't make the cut? Just the
fact that the lesbian-detective drama made it this far is going
to make it that much easier for the next network producer to
seriously consider greenlighting the next idea for a show revolving
around lesbians--and eventually, one of them will stick.
May
20th Update: Unfortunately, Nikki & Nora
was not picked up by UPN, so unless it gets a mid-season pickup,
it will not be on TV next season. To find out more about the
series and how you can help convince UPN to pick it up, read
our interview with Nikki &
Nora creator Nancylee Myatt.
