Tales of the City (2019) User Reviews (148)

Good effort

[DankeSchoen · 7/10 · 9 June 2019]

Having read all the books several times I was looking forward to this series on Netflix. I'm so glad Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney, Paul Gross and Barbara Garrick came back. Shame one of the original 'Michael' actors didn't return. The story was ok but hardly resembled the story in the last 3 books that would be appropriate for the passing of time for the characters. Anna's flashback story was a good addition however but the ending was quite underwhelming. I feel that it missed an opportunity to tell the real story of the characters as there was a wealth of story available from 'Michael Tolliver Lives' 'Mary Ann in Autumn' and 'The Days of Anna Madrigal' to make a brilliant season. Shame they got the timing wrong! Michael and Mary Ann should be in their 60s now! It would have sat better if it was set in the late 90s yearly 00s.

Also a shame they didn't keep the original theme music. It would have helped to retain some of the magic of the original. Netflix seem to have aimed the series at a new audience but forgetting the existing fans of the books and first 3 series.

A good watch that filled a rainy day.

We wait now for the next book by Maupin about Mona as he announced on Radio 2 last week.

A big disappointment

[Westcoastal · 7/10 · 18 June 2019]

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 really wanted to like this!

[clrunchuck · 6/10 · 8 June 2019]

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!

Farewell, the Journey Is Over

[drednm · 23 August 2020]

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.

I would've given a 10 if it weren't for the F'ing twins

[neatnik333 · 9/10 · 16 June 2019]

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.

Questions and compliments

[diva3000 · 10/10 · 9 July 2019]

I love the diversity and the generational conversations that arise like the dinner table use of "tranny". Nailed it.

The sex scene between Charlie Barnett and Murraly Bartlett looked very realistic -so hot.

The twins are obviously DeDe's from her past story. Why are they not identified as such? Did they start something and then edit it out?

The timeline of ages and dates really did a number on me which I had to suspend to accept and embrace this new telling.

Back to Barbary Lane. I Was Teary Eyed From The Beginning.

[jsmith98-1 · 10/10 · 21 June 2019]

We watched this from the first episode until the last. We started watching this on a Saturday morning and we couldn't stop watching it until we had watched the entire series. It was very surreal for both my husband and myself to be taken back to 28 Barbary Lane, a place I too discovered in 1994. This was originally shown in the U.K. and then it was shown on PBS in the U.S. in 1994. It was the same time that I had come to terms that without a doubt, I too was gay. I had known this since I was about 12 years old as I was always attracted to older men and especially those with beards. I tried to change this one thing about myself through my teens and it led to drinking to much and self medicating with marijuana. I just felt absolutely no chemistry with the opposite sex and I knew that someday I was going to have to tell my secret. It's like trying to make your brown eyes blue mentally, it isn't possible.

I basically cried through the first episode of the new Netflix series as I felt exactly like Mary Ann Singleton did in the first episode should I decide to return to the city where I grew up and became a man. The original series was the absolute best thing on television at the time and I found it by accident. I read an article in an alternative paper about the series coming to our PBS and I was glued to the TV. Finally, a television series I could relate to was being shown on my favorite channel, PBS! Luckily my PBS station was in a larger market in Norfolk VA and the nudity was not pixelated like most areas. But when I think back to the era the original series was on PBS, it is just amazing that they we're showing this series in 1994. We've come a long way since then.

I have read all the books in the series by Armistead Maupin and loved everyone of them. He's an excellent story teller and author. I found the book "Micheal Toliver Lives" to be a great read. I can relate to the book in many ways. My now Husband whom I've been in a monogamous relationship with for 19yrs is older than myself , however he's not HIV positive. It's why we we're both looking for a monogamous relationship. We we're both negative and had explored our sexuality. He is a man who was lived through the dangerous time of the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and I was fresh out of High School and terrified of exploring sexual experiences with others because of the nonsense I was taught in School. I was not promiscuous as a lot of others were, but I did have experience with less than 10 people and I was very safe in my adventures. When we meet in New Orleans in 1998, I knew he was old enough to be my dad, but there was chemistry I had never felt. He felt it as well. We complimented each other very well and we still do all these years later. We've never had a fight or even an argument where we've raised our voices at each other!

I don't know why the Critics reviews of this new and incredibly interesting addition to this series was judged so harshly. I thought it was well done and it is great that the younger generation of LGBTQ people can discover the other three prequels and see how living as gay or other so called "alternative lifestyles" can be an incredible life if your careful about how you live your life. I think people who live in major city have a much easier time living their lives in the way each and every one of us we're created. Being LGBTQ is not a choice! When I was ready to start exploring my sexuality, it was a time when you had to be extremely careful about whom and where you were going to discover the one thing you couldn't tell anyone. I even learned about other types of sexual genres that I didn't realize existed from this Netflix series. So at 49, I actually learned more about other sexual issues besides being gay.

Of course, I cried during the last episode as well as I knew exactly what was going to happen. The series took an interesting turn that I didn't expect that made transgender issues an integral part of the whole series. From the original version through the other two series and ending with this one, it's been one of the best and most educational shows for me personally. Loved everything about this Netflix series!

Flawed

[joel-six · 7/10 · 8 June 2019]

I'm two episodes in, I'm quite enjoying it, but the flaws are glaringly obvious. I'll start with the biggest one and that is the supposed gap in decades that has occurred. I would have much preferred that it was set in the 90s or early 2000s, with the first series being set in the 70s this just doesn't add up for me. I'm finding it hard to move past it and very distracting.

The second flaw is the constant nods and winks to the younger generation and references to Instagram etc. There was an annoying pause in the flower shop when a customer paid for his purchase using his phone. This approach, which I think is intentional, is incredibly obnoxious.

Aside from these criticisms, I'm still a fan of the original material, and I am hopeful it settles down. Laura Linney rocks

Addictive!

[rebeckaflygare · 9/10 · 11 June 2019]

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.

schmaltzy magical soap for millennials and nostalgic oldies

[manschelde-1 · 7/10 · 11 June 2019]

I had alread red the Tales Of the City books at least the first 5 or so, and lived in the Bay Area in the early 80s when the books were being published to my then delight. So these remarks are from an oldie.

The Netflix 2019-extensions of the Tales Of the city saga is ten hours of uneven yet satisfying setup for perhaps another future generation of tales.

It's presented in the form of a whodunnit (whoisdoingit) plot with a some wrapping up of previous loose ends with new characters to carry it forward. Seems each episode has a different writer so the intensity varies between episodes. Superficially it's just the same old nonsense as the previous series, but this time with a slower pace and with current obsessions and topics. Mr Maupin makes a cameo as usual.

Nice that the Gene Compton's cafeteria event gets attention, no doubt will bring that to international attention.

My initial reaction was distaste at episodes-1 and 2. I wanted to dislike this effort out of imaginary respect for the old characters. I did not immediately like the new younger characters until later in the series.

Despite the dodgy timeline (Michael Tolliver is portrayed as 54 when 64 might be more consistent with the books ) and the initial difficulty of accepting the new younger characters, it won me over. Some scenes dragged however. Episode-3 dinner scene was intense, as was a young character rifling though an older character's 80s address book with most names crossed out, a familiar agony for my generation.

Nice musical background too.

In short schmatltzy magical soap for millennials and nostalgic oldies.

Oh dear - It just didn't work.

[info-47038 · 5/10 · 9 June 2019]

I wanted to enjoy the series. I really did. Unfortunately I was let down badly. The witty repartee, lovable whirl of personalities and hysterical (if pertinent) social insights of the books seem to be have replaced with stilted quasi soap opera scripting, PC overload, and for those who know and love the books, strange twists of the characters, timelines, reference points and history. To pick a cast for such a well loved series of books always leads to criticism. In general I found the acting was pretty good with lovely performances by Olivia Dukakis, Laura Linney and Paul Gross. However, the choice of Ellen Page as Shawna has me completely baffled. It seems that everything I have seen her in is a slight variation of the same character, and that intense, dark, troubled persona that Ms. Page is so good at portraying just doesn't do the character, or back-story, of Shawna Hawkins any credit. The saddest part of the series for me was the ending. Armistead Maupin wrote one of the most fitting demises for a character such as Anna Madrigal - an image that 'Tales' lovers hold dear, and should never have been messed with. To have seen fit to re-write it is pure sacrilege. I wish the series had worked. Not only for myself, but for of Maupin's Barbary Lane fans.

Heart warming

[michaelschuddinck · 9/10 · 7 June 2019]

I was very excited about this new series on Netflix, where love is standing central. Love told in many ways... new love, family love, love for friends. There are quite a lot of characters passing by in a short time, but in some way you get easily connected to their stories and all lead actors try to bring as many depth to their characters as possible. It doesn't want to be pretentious, which I was afraid of. Tales of the City does deliver some great stories. This should be clearly a series which needs more story and episodes to give some characters more space to tell their story. But, it's all heart warming and just the sort of series what we need these days. If your heart isn't made of stone, I'm sure you will melt in a heartbeat.

Enjoyable

[gabialoha3 · 7/10 · 14 June 2019]

I thought this production was done well and was really poignant, although at times the acting was a bit contrived. However, speaking as one who was born and raised in The City, I found this to be very "San Franciscan"... the gay, the straight and the in between. I found myself getting nostalgic and teary eyed, especially with the night scenes from the roof showing North Beach....I could just feel and smell that night air. All in all, enjoyed it.

Very weak writing

[c_quintarelli-66636 · 4/10 · 12 June 2019]

It tries to be edgy and hip but isn't. The writing is just bad. The characters are poorly developed. The dialogue is cliche. Skip it

Awful - Edited - Spoilers

[Ripshin · 8 June 2019]

OK, I made it through this terrible, horrible series. WHO wrote this Millennial, Facebook update of our beloved characters?

You finally kill off Anna Madrigal, and turn it into an embarrassing mess?

There was already a satisfactory ending to this story, in three novels.

"Mouse" is totally miscast. Once again, Mary Ann is a jerk. Didn't Maupin rectify that in the wonderful bookend novel, "Mary Ann in Autumn"?

I know that Maupin & Linney totally pushed this series into completion, but it feels like a manipulated mound of garbage.

This is a dumbed-down version of Barbary Lane, muted and simplified for Millennials.

DeDe returns, and for absolutely no reason. She's now hit on by a twenty-something, in the most superficial manner possible. Anna deserves a better completion. Not a tedious candle dinner, with people eventually lifting those obnoxious candle "balloons" in the sky.

WHO thought that this was a good idea? Why are professional reviewers not roasting this?

I think we all know who really pushed Maupin into doing this.

Best binge watch of 2019

[lattetown · 10/10 · 9 June 2019]

Just watched it non-stop, like eating popcorn on pot. For the 50th anniversary of Stonewall this was a pleasant surprise. It's nice to see many of the original characters come back and view SF through new eyes-Mary Ann, Bryan, DeDe and Anna Madrigal anchor the show with off-beat humor and drama. Although Michael is not the original actor, he fits in with the rest of the gang really well. Personally, I think the back story of Anna's last secret is probably one of the most poignant episodes. Tales is still relevant today, and it makes you feel proud how far we've come.

Loving this series!

[OpinionatedMillenial4 · 9/10 · 7 June 2019]

So happy this is a thing! Makes me want to watch the first three installments from way back when. I highly recommend this!

Very well done

[hosting-24302 · 10/10 · 8 June 2019]

I read all the books, met the author in the early 80's while living in San Francisco and have been looking forward to this series. I loved it. It is well acted, looks at real issues in an entertaining way and touched the heart as well as the mind. So well done.

Not your father's Tales

[ArcherAdam · 6/10 · 13 June 2019]

The acting by the primary cast alone is nearly enough to completely carry this update - but not quite. Where the original adaption was a solid story about the lives of a group of diverse personalities, this one buckles under the weight of its own political correctness. Each time a character is introduced, I can practically see a checkmark over their heads. The 1993 adaption was about people. The 2019 adaption is about types.

Still, it does have its positives. Episode six is a real standout. It takes an honest, critical look at the same political correctness it spent five episodes building up, and the series picks up a bit from there. And it was nice to see a different side of Brian. More mature and responsible, but still has a bit of that womanizing player shinning through.

It's just too bad that it didn't really find its footing until midway through the season. Had it hit its stride much earlier, it could have gone from middling and okay, to, well, fabulous.

Having never watched the first series of shows, I found this a delight

[pik923 · 9/10 · 12 June 2019]

I was pleasantly surprised and must admit addicted to a marathon viewing of the entire series in one sitting - and I enjoyed every moment. The scripts were up to date in terms of issues that affect/affected every characters age and experience. From the older characters and the elders to the young 'kids' it was a series about people and what and who they are and where they came from - ie whose shoulders they stand on and what came before. Acting was top rate from the majors to the minor characters - there was a truth behind who they are. Specific scenes and moments of simple human reactions that stand out in my mind but that would be unfair to share with those who haven't seen the series. I applaud everyone involved in the show - congratulations!!! Some of the more 'explicit scenes' were done with authenticity and not someone's misguided imagination of what two men or two women, one man and one woman or any combination thereof do or don't do. I'll have to go back and find the original series but even if I don't - it doesn't matter. Thank You Everyone for this little gem on Netflix just before I close up my account - so tired of violence and violence and more violence against women, men, kids on Netflix. Disgusting. But this is a gem.

Lots of flaws, but overall nicely done

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 13 July 2019]

The problem with some of the reviews here is that they are written only from the perspective of people who either read the books or watched the earlier mini-series (several of them). I came to this mini-series with an open mind, and -- for the most part -- I enjoyed the more modern perspective on San Francisco.

That's not to say there weren't problems. The first two or three episodes were a little slow, but I have to admit that they did some good character development there before they got into the heart of the plot. Early on I wondered if this story was actually going anywhere And, there were times I felt like something had been left out. When I would sit down another night for a new episode. I would have to go back to the previous episode, feeling that I had missed something. I guess I must have missed how Victor Garber's character went from bad guy to good guy. The ultimate bad guy...or in this case bad girl...well, that was an awful stretch. And what ever happened to Anna's lover? That was sort of a dead end.

But to me this mini-series had a lot of strengths. Not the least of which was that after the climax in the last episode, it didn't just end. There was some closure on what was happening with a number of the characters, and it would have disappointed me if they had not done that.

There was also more diversity here in terms of ethnicity, although I agree with a few other posters about the brother-sister weird Asian couple (that was dumb).

In terms of the acting, at age 88, Olympia Dukakis was just outstanding. What a wonderful characterization! Ellen Page...hmmm...I wanted to like her, but sometimes found her sorta flat in some scenes, not so much in others...perhaps I would have liked her characterization more if she hadn't worn the stupid hat virtually 100% of the time. I wasn't familiar with Murray Bartlett, but I enjoyed his characterization. And I really liked Charlie Barnett here! Garcia shows some promise. But Zosia Mamet...one of the worst acting jobs I've ever seen on television or in a film. Dickie Hearts -- what a sweetie...hope we see more of him. Victor Garber...an interesting and somewhat confusing role, but I was glad to see him again...it's been a while.Jen RIchards' role as the young Anna Madrigal was top notch, and she's actually trans in real life.

Overall, I liked this production. But I just have one question -- is everyone in San Francisco just a little "unique"?

Ugh

[montymonvieux · 3/10 · 10 June 2019]

Trying to watch this, but not sure I'll make it through to the end. Perhaps I will be able to enjoy seeing the San Francisco location shots, if nothing else. As one old enough to have seen the original episodes, I am disappointed by this production. The dialogue is stiff, awkward and sometimes dreadful. As someone else mentioned, the millennial-era references do not add anything positive to the story (probably an attempt to engage younger, viewers...what else should be expected today?)

Great reboot to the original

[stormfront-97408 · 10/10 · 13 June 2019]

I wasn't sure how a reboot picking up where the story ended years ago but it starts off with a 90tj birthday and gets better. It is a grear balance of original cast sort of the big chill and the new generarions mixing and combining the stories. The show is addictive. As the viewera care for the characters. A great watch wherw anytjing can happen on Barbry Lane

Nothing to compare it to...

[faithmeyer-1 · 7/10 · 28 June 2019]

I've not read the books or watched the previous version. This was easy watching, sometimes slow, but overall, I enjoyed it. Probably could have been done in 6 or 7 episodes. I did find Shawna's character to be boring and sulky, I couldn't get invested there. Enjoyed Anna and Michael's stories the most.

Absolutely disappointing.

[samuraikitten · 1/10 · 17 June 2019]

They took a series that had characters who are iconic, and just ruined them.

All the original books and the sequels held so much amazing material that was all thrown out in favor of weird over cutesy instagram twins and bickering characters who werent even in the book.

The Wren and Brian romance was absolutely ruined. Wren was amazing in the books. In this she's just a side note.

Shawna was ruined beyond all recognition. I was so excited for Ellen Page to play her with the same happy Whip It quirkiness that was in the books. She was constantly described as being happy and fun loving. Instead we are given that hat.That hat I was wanting to burn by the end of the first episode.

The lack of the original score was also very obvious.

I've been disappointed by plenty of book to movie adaptions, but this is one of the worst things I've ever seen. I'm so disappointed that so many people will see this and have no idea about the magic and wonder of the original series.