ABSTRACT
While researching the production and consumption of Showtime’s hit lesbianthemed seriesThe LWord (2004-2009), my fieldwork alternatively brought me to the show’s set in Vancouver, BC to interview and observe producers, writers, and actors, and to public viewing venues in multiple cities, to do the same with the show’s fans.1 One particular boundary-crossing moment happened not across national borders, rather when I witnessed “media people” from the set and “ordinary” audiences of The LWord converge in the same space: Hollywood’s lesbian nightspotThe Falcon.2 On the night of the show’s second season premiere, I observed The LWord’s showrunner, Ilene Chaiken, and co-executive producer, Rose Troche, inconspicuously eating dinner at The Falcon, a popular LA screening spot for the series, watching hundreds of fans responding to the episode as it aired. As behind-the-scenes producers, rather than recognizable stars, these two participant-observers went largely unnoticed by the fans around them.3
