Throughout the decades, lesbian content has been subtly hidden in media all around us. Whether we were waiting for Xena and Gabrielle to get it on or pretty sure that Peppermint Patty and Marcie had a thing, we were always noticing it, kind of.
In “Nikki and Nora”, the new web series by Nancylee Myatt (South of Nowhere, 3 way, Cowgirl Up), underlying tension is tossed aside and Myatt finally just gives us what we want. The show centers around Nikki, played by Liz Vassey (CSI, The Tick), and Nora, played by Christina Cox (Better than Chocolate, Dexter) who are intelligent, strong, sexy, crime-fighting partners in every sense of the word.
“In tone, it’s a light mystery show, like a Castle or Rizzoli and Isles. Although in our show versus Rizzoli and Isles, Nikki and Nora are actually a couple. They’re out and they’re living in New Orleans post-Katrina and have left the police force to be private investigators because they felt they could do better out on their own,” says Myatt. “It’s an homage to the Nick and Nora movies back in the day. So while they’re solving crimes, they’re also fighting about their personal life. We’re following them to family functions and of course we’re watching them stop at the bars along the way and stop and smell the king cake and watch the parades go by.”
What makes “Nikki and Nora” truly special is that this is not the first time the couple has graced audiences. The pilot was originally tested for UPN a decade ago and has been taking on a life of its own in internet subculture ever since.
“When we first created it 10 years ago, it was a network pilot that was a little bit ahead of its time,” explains Myatt. “The climate in the country at that time was very conservative and the show did not get picked up but it was the fans that kept it alive.”
Originally the idea of Gail Berman at Regency Television, Myatt was approached about the project back in 2004. After the pilot was not picked up, the team passed around DVDs to anyone they could think of. Though it never seemed to take off, it did help Myatt land her spot as co-executive producer on “South of Nowhere”.
Unbeknownst to anyone involved, the pilot had gotten uploaded to YouTube and through sharing the series had garnered a large fan base. It was not until they started seeing montages and homages to the characters, and “Nikki and Nora” clips mixed in with clips from “The L Word” that they realized how large the following had gotten.
“82% of me is flattered and 18% of me, if I’m being honest, thinks it’s kind of crazy that people have to search for programming like this enough that they’re digging up an old pilot and re-watching it,” says Vassey. “Put something on TV so they don’t have to work that hard, you know?”
It was not until Christin Mell of Tello Films approached Myatt about new projects that the idea of a “Nikki and Nora” revival became a reality.
“Christin said a lot of people were asking for original content and I had already given them 3way and Cowgirl Up and she said, ‘What’s your dream project?’ and I said I have lots of dream projects but I have one that, you know, it’s the one that got away. The big fish for me was Nikki and Nora.”
“In this reboot, what’s really truly lovely is that in 10 years, the face of this nation and the world and the way that people feel about everyone that they know or know of is changing. They are out and living a loud and proud life and it made it very easy for Nikki and Nora to come back,” Myatt explains.
After solidifying the rights to the story, gaining help from fans and fan fiction writers, and a crowd-funded Indiegogo campaign that raised far past its original goal, the “Nikki and Nora” story is finally back in a new web series available through Tello Films at onemorelesbian.com.
“I cannot tell you how important it’s been to Paige and I, and to Liz and Christina, the support that we have from Christin and everybody at Tello,” says Myatt. “What’s great about them being a web network, if you will, is that they’ve also been really co-producers and partners for me along the way…they all just stepped up and made it happen. Plus, they know so much about the worldwide web and marketing and finding your audience and keeping the conversation going. I want to give them the majority of the credit for being the reason you all are able to sit and watch the show again.”
So far, the reaction to the reinvented series has been very positive. Whether there are new fans discovering it for the first time or original fans excited to see their favorite characters back in action, “Nikki and Nora” is a story we have been ready to see for a long time.
“I’m glad I did it because I don’t think, with exclusion of The Fosters, which I applaud, I love them as a couple on that show, I love that there’s a lesbian couple front and center and I think they’ve portrayed beautifully by both actresses and I love the writing, but with the exception of that, there’s not an awful lot out there for particularly young women to look at and say, ‘oh, I’m okay. I date women and I’m okay.’ I’m proud of it for that reason because it’s about fucking time. Let people see people that represent them,” says Vassey.
When asked about the potential future of the series with a wider audience and a possible television network Myatt said, “I think the thing about Nikki and Nora is, they have the same problems and desires and family issues and life issues and health issues and work issues that everybody else has. I think that’s something important for crossing over. Also, it doesn’t hurt that they’re both beautiful and funny and sexy.”
