Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals)
Jennifer Beals plays Bette Porter, a former art director for the CAC, known for her classy suits and alpha personality. However in the course Season 2 and 3 she learns to take a few steps back and learns that she doesn't always have to be in control of everything. In Season 1 she lives with life partner Tina Kennard and they want to have a baby, even though their relationship is not 100% stable. When Tina gets a miscarriage, the relationship goes downhill as Bette cheats on Tina with carpenter Candace. In S2 Bette tries to get Tina back, with no luck (in the first few episodes). It appears Tina is pregnant and they both decide to be as good mommies as they can. There is a glorious moment in Episode 9 in which they reunite. Bette's father passes away and Tina gives birth to a baby girl, Angelica. In S3 Angelica has grown a fair bit and Bette and Tina continue to have problems as Bette is unemployed, but still passionate about art. Tina explores her bisexuality as Bette tries to find a more spiritual kind of life. Eventually they split up and Bette takes Angelica with her.

Tina Kennard (Laurel Holloman)
Laurel Holloman plays Tina Kennard, a woman who's given up her career as executive producer to have a baby with her partner Bette. In Season one she gets pregnant but unfortunately miscarriages. Her world falls apart when she finds out Bette is cheating on her. In Season 2 Tina has left Bette and finds her autonomy. She falls for the spoiled Helena Peabody and they share a short romance until she reunites with Bette towards the end of the season. She gives birth to a baby girl, Angelica, in the final of S2. In S3 she's confused about her sexuality and eventually becomes involved with a man. She still wants to raise Angelica together with Bette, but finds out Bette has filed for sole custody. Before they even go to court, Bette takes Angelica with her.

Angelica Kennard-Porter (Olivia Windbiel)
Olivia Windbiel plays Angelica, aka Booboo and little Boo, the daughter of Bette and Tina, she was born at the end of season 2 , her earth mother is Alice, she is not her God mother because Alice doesn't believe in God.
Booboo likes to cool her tooties by the pool with her mama B and she enjoys banging pots and pans in front of annoying social services workers

Kit Porter (Pam Grier)
Pam Grier plays Bette's older half sister, Kit. She's a musician and a recovering alcoholic. She has a son, David, whom she argues with a lot. Bette is still pretty angry at Kit, but they make up and Kit hangs around as a friend to everyone. She is straight but at the end of Season 1 she falls for the charms of Ivan, a female transvestite. In Season 2 she plans to take over The Planet (a cafe formerly owned by Marina) and Ivan supports her financially. They never become a couple. Kit meets Benjamin, a self-help guru, but he's married so it's doomed. On top of that Kit's and Bette's father, Melvin, passes away. In Season 3 Kit renews The Planet and she finally finds luck in love with Bette and Tina's 'manny' - Angus. She discovers she's in menopause, but that doesn't bother the much younger Angus. And also she discoveres she is pregnant.

Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey)
Alice is a journalist for LA Magazine. Among her group of friends, she is the only self-proclaimed bisexual. Her mother Lenore is an actress, and apparently the only one in the family who accepts her sexuality. Alice has two siblings, who despise her lifestyle and she doesn't have a good relationship with her father either, who she simply describes as 'distant'. Perhaps the most notorious fact about Alice is her obsession with The Chart, a recompilation of all the relationships and one-night stands which she knows of, and how this network of affairs is linked to her. Alice strongly believes everyone is sleeping with everyone else, and her chart is the most valuable evidence supporting her theory

Shane McCutcheon (Kate Moennig)
Shane was born in Austin, Texas. Her mother, who was an addict, put her into foster care when she was only nine years old. She never met her father, though it was later revealed that he led a one-night stand lifestyle during his youth. It is known that she has a half-brother, named Shay.
Shane used to be a homeless prostitute on Santa Monica Boulevard. Most of her customers thought she was a boy which put her in extreme danger of hate crime if they learned the truth. She started while she was still a teenager, but quit after someone helped her get into hairdressing school. In The L Word companion book, it was revealed that Shane was homeless for at least six months (it was mentioned that she slept in her truck). In season one, she was living with three militant lesbians, sharing a 1-bedroom apartment, but in season two, she moved in with Jenny Schecter. By the end of season three, she was still living at Jenny's house.

Jenny Schecter (Mia Kirshner)
Mia Kirschner plays Jenny, a young writer who moves to L.A. with her boyfriend Tim. Through Bette and Tina (their neighbours) she finds out she might not be as straight as she thinks. Bar owner Marina seduces her and when Tim finds out about Jenny's lesbian activities, he breaks up with her. Jenny becomes involved with a new woman and a new guy! In Season 2 she practically breaks up with both of them. She moves in with Shane and discovers Carmen, whom she dates, but Carmen has her eyes on Shane. Jenny joins a writers group and tries to deal with her past. Things aren't going well for her and she attempts suicide just before Bette & Tina's baby is born. In Season 3 we find her on a road trip with Moira/Max who becomes her new partner. It looks like Jenny's book is finally gonna be published and things are looking up apart from Moira/Max being a difficult person to be with. In Whistler, where Shane and Carmen are gonna wed, Jenny meets a French chick and something new starts it seems.

Helena Peabody (Rachel Shelley)
Rachel Shelley plays British Helena Peabody, daughter of the very rich Peggy Peabody who runs the Peabody foundation. In Season 2 she meets Bette through Peggy, they are enemies made ofr eachother. Helena comes in touch with single, pregnant Tina and falls for her. Helena is the kind of woman who gets what she wants (or buys what she wants) and it's not long until she's dating Tina - which pisses her rival Bette off. However, Helena and Tina are not exclusive and they both go their own way and break up when Tina decides to get back together with Bette. Helena moves on and in Season 3 we see a much softer and nicer Helena, who's become best mates with Alice. She buys a film studio and hires Tina. There's nothing going on between them. Helena seduces 'straight' Dylan, who sues her later for sexual harrassment. Helena is at the point of losing all her money, but goes to Whistler anyway to attend Carmen and Shane's wedding

Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels)
Erin Daniels plays the professional tennis player Dana Fairbanks. Dana's not very 'out and proud' and her gaydar isn't tuned yet. She wants to know all about a sous-chef named Lara and she gets the girls to test if Lara could be gay. Dana finds out herself and she dates Lara but breaks up with her when Lara puts too much pressure on Dana coming out. Her sponsors all of a sudden like the idea of a lesbian tennis player and she comes out. She dates Tonya. Her buddy Alice admits she fancies her and they start an affair at the beginning of S2. Dana breaks up with Tonya, who was only after Dana's fame it seemed. Dana and Alice are pretty happy together but then Lara comes back. In Season 3 Dana is with Lara and being stalked by Alice who isn't over the breakup. Dana discovers she's got breast cancer and seeks Alice's help. At one point Dana's condition seems stable but in episode 10 she unexpectedly passes away while Alice is gone for a few minutes