Tales of the City

I really wanted to like this series and went into it with a very generous, open mind because it's the sort of series I tend to enjoy. Unfortunately the weak writing, wooden acting, constant cliches and cloyingly over-sentimentalized tropes made it really difficult to love.

I did stick with it in hopes that it would 'get better' but unfortunately it never did. A real shame because the idea had potential but it felt more like a bad after school special than a ground-breaking diversity story. It actually feels dated (in a bad way) and it's from 2019.

I gave it 7 stars because there are so few LGBT-friendly series out there I just didn't have the heart to give it less, but if I was being more honest it really doesn't deserve much more than a 5 or 6. While it does have some charming moments, it's too cutesy and devoid of grit to be truly ground-breaking.

I live in San Francisco, I read all the books, and loved the original P.B.S. series. I'm definitely in the target audience. There are parts of the series that they get right and enjoy. From a nostalgic point of view, it's fun and delightful seeing the original actors: Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney playing Mrs Madrigal and MaryAnne Singleton. Murray Bartlett and Ellen Page are welcome additions and fit right in to the cast as Michael Tolliver and Shauna. Armistead Maupin's story has always had a whimsical "alternative, somewhat idealized reality " that you have to somewhat suspend reality to be on board for both the books and the television series. The new writers have maintained this tone which has it's pros and cons. The pros are: it's cute and whimsical. Gay men also enjoy it for being able to see men actually doing more than kissing. The P. C. sex scenes of all genders are plentiful throughout the episodes. The overall story lines seem slow and very drawn out over the 10 episodes. I'm an attempt to please everyone, particularly a younger maybe more progressive crowd, there's the young kids storyline with the trans and gender fluid kids. A 2 hour movie would have moved the story along in a more smooth and succinct way, instead of "way to many " conversations about people and past events. (The worst stereotypes of the daytime soaps when fans complain about the snails pace of stories). If you're stuck home with the flu or it's bad weather outside, it's not a bad way to pass the time. If you want an entertaining well written, cohesive plot drive show with characters you're invested in, try something like "Schitts Creek ". I was really disappointed with this one!

I was really looking forward to the updated version, as I have seen every episode as it originally aired on PBS. The story-line was great, it was awesome to see the original actors'actresses reprising their iconic roles. Then came "the twins". Absolutely not even needed to be a part of the series. Those characters ruined it for me. I understand that perhaps the creator wanted to include Millennials to introduce the series to a new generation, but OMG, the extreme stereotypes of our youth and their digital habits seem to have gone too far, and the outcome that was in the show was not only extremely annoying but downright ridiculous. And to think I was worried about the stereotypes of the LGBTQ community.

At first I was a little disappointed since I've been in love with the book series for more than 20 years. But it grows with every episode and now I'm hooked! The old characters make me feel like home and the new ones have already taken a place in my heart.

This ten-part miniseries has some very high highs and some very low lows.

Back at Barbary Lane are Laura Linney as the sometimes annoying Mary Ann and Olympia Dukakis and the magical Anna Madrigal. Two superb actresses. Also back is Paul Gross, the original Brian. Michael is now played by Murray Bartlett, a huge improvement over smarmy Paul Hopkins in the previous two outings, but not as sweet as the original Michael played by Marcus D'Amico. Barbara Garrick also returns as DeDe, but she's a marginal character here.

Chief among the newcomers to Barbary Lane is Ellen Page as the tough Shawna, the daughter of Brian and Mary Ann .... or is she? We also get a complicated lesbian couple (Garcia and May Hong), a snoopy "reader" (Victor Garber). and a strange lesbian filmmaker (Zosia Mamet).

I found DeDe's misbegotten twins extremely annoying. I'm not sure if they were meant to be comic relief, but they ain't funny. There are several other recurring characters but they're not terribly important.

A few name actors pop up in one or two appearances: John Glover as an old cop, Mary Louise Wilson as the home resident, Luke Kirby as a 1960s cop, Stephen Spinella as a dinner guest, Molly Ringwald as an art collector, and Danny Burstein as Connie's old husband.

The standout episode of this series in #8, which re-enacts the infamous drag queen riot at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco. This looms as the backdrop to the flashback of Anna's arrival in San Francisco in 1966 as a 40-something woman.

And despite a largely annoying storyline that clutters the achingly sad finale, we finally clear the gaudy debris and get to the great loss we all knew was coming.

Many kudos to the indomitable Olympia Dukakis for her portrayal of Mrs. Madrigal over the decades and to Laura Linney for her chirpy performance as Mary Ann and also for producing this series.