In this comedy series, a group of people live in San Francisco in the 1970s and 1980s and routinely face their diary. The events begin when Mary Ann finds herself in front of a romantic turn over her new boss, Bochamp. On the other hand, Michael returns to the 28 Barbary Lane to live with his friend Mona Ramzi and to adapt continuously.
Laura Linney perfectly reprises her role of Mary Ann, once our straitlaced guide into this hedonistic world as the wide-eyed new arrival who gets sucked into life in San Francisco
Perhaps most importantly and warmingly, Tales of the City speaks to the enduring resolve and love at the hearts of most close-knit communities in the world.
Even as I rolled my eyes or scratched my head at various developments, the performances and the optimistic (and very Maupin) spirit buoyed me through the whole thing.
What gives it importance, even in its silliest sequences, is that it was once a landmark series, emphatically controversial and the subject of a culture-war skirmish.
For fans of Maupin's novels this will be an intriguing continuation of a world they love so deeply, but on its own "Tales of the City" has a lot of heart, and is meant to be enjoyed for its sense of life even when it deals with its more painful avenues.
Barbary Lane's celebrated queerness is less remarkable these days... Though such actorly appropriation is now frowned on, Olympia Dukakis is stuck playing the transgender landlady; she is perhaps "iconic".
