Bette and Tina's artificial insemination storyline
The L Word DVD gets old pretty quickly, especially given that almost every lesbian character on television in the last two seasons has been saddled with some iteration of this plot device (Kerry and Sandy on ER, Melanie and Lindsay on Queer as Folk, and Bianca on All My Children, are just a few examples). The only thing that saves this storyline from total tedium is that The L Word
The Simpsons DVD does a better job than most of delving into the nuances of the artificial insemination process, and the complicated questions that arise from choosing to have a child this way (like whether lesbians having a biracial child is too much "otherness"). The writers also wisely use the insemination storyline to illuminate other aspects of Bette and Tina's relationship, like their sex life (or lack thereof), and Bette's workaholic tendencies. The Tim-Jenny-Marina triangle is well-written and believable.
CSI Miami DVD Kirshner makes you feel every emotion she's feeling--whether it's lust, confusion, or sorrow--and does so with an ease and complexity that is truly astonishing at times. Lombard as Marina is maddeningly self-assured, in a kind of calm, direct way that exudes confidence and keeps her consistently mysterious (at times veering on predatory). The combination creates a chemistry between Jenny and Marina that is so good it's almost palpable at times. But Tim and Jenny also have a good relationship, which complicates the issue for Jenny.
Grey's Anatomy DVD Mabius and the writers do an excellent job of making Tim a realistically sympathetic character, preventing viewers from easily dismissing Jenny and Tim's relationship even if they're rooting for Jenny and Marina. But while the pilot is good, the subsequent episodes are better. In the pilot, for example, there are some scenes that smack of over-explaining, or trying too hard to be provocative (like the silly conversations about butt-waxing and Shane's "nipple confidence"),
Two and a Half Men DVD and just more cliches in general. But these occur less and less in the episodes that follow as the show finds its rhythm and the writers assume we are more familiar with the characters and with lesbianism. The cast also seem more comfortable together as the episodes progress, and the storylines improve as the writers make the dialogue more nuanced and less expository.