Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sequel to book-based LGBTQ+ classic has sex, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Tales of the City (2019)
What's the Story?
Based on the series of novels by Armistead Maupin and continuing the story that began with 1994's Tales of the City on PBS, TALES OF THE CITY brings many of the same characters back together in 2019 San Francisco (though only two decades have passed in the story). In the familiar apartment building on Barbary Lane where viewers first met her in the original series' 1970s setting, Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis) still holds court over a ramshackle family of misfits. They include Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney), newly returned from her demanding East Coast TV career; "Mouse" Tolliver (Murray Bartlett), who's carrying on a flaming affair with the much younger Ben (Charlie Barnett); and Mary Ann's ex, Brian (Paul Gross), who has a big secret he hasn't shared yet with daughter Shawna (Elliot Page).
Is It Any Good?
This continuation of the classic miniseries mixes nostalgia and the new in a way that's sweet, soapy, and inclusive enough to charm, particularly for those who loved the original. There's a gorgeous moment in the first episode that's the best kind of Tales of the City fan service: A back-in-town Mary Ann charges up the same staircase filmed for the 1990s version and into Anna's 90th birthday party, gazing about her in wonder to find the house and grounds virtually unchanged. Then Anna emerges from an upstairs room, and the two lock eyes: both older and more lined, but still there. This moment was filmed 25 years after the first Tales of the City aired to great acclaim (and great controversy) on PBS; viewers who were watching at the time can be forgiven for misting up at seeing these iconic characters share a screen again.
About that word "iconic," though: Anna comments in a pleasingly meta way about the show's venerable lineage, "I suppose Barbary Lane has become iconic, but people get uncomfortable around old things. When someone grows old, it reminds us of the inevitability of death, and before you know it, you're using words like 'iconic' instead of 'old.'" Ouch. The very same viewers who caught the original on TV may feel that remark, even as they fall under Barbary Lane's spell again. New viewers may not appreciate the series as much, particularly in the early episodes, when subplots about a young queer couple, a set of twins with Instagram ambitions, and others seem a bit shoehorned in. But lovably written as they are—by Orange Is the New Black's Lauren Morelli—and embodied by terrific actors like Page and Barnett, as well as old friends like Linney and Dukakis, it's easy to sign up for another stretch on Barbary Lane.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of seeing LGBTQ+ characters portrayed in shows like Tales of the City. Why is it key to see these characters in lead roles and created with love and nuance? What effect does it have on viewers when LGBTQ+ characters exist only in supporting roles?
How does the show's tone compare to that of other LGBTQ+ series? Teens: How have depictions of gay, trans, and other queer people in the media changed since your parents/guardians' era? How have they changed in more recent years?
How do characters show communication, empathy, and courage? Why are these important character strengths?
How does this 2019 series compare with the original 1994 TV show? How do they both compare to the books, which were published between 1978 and 2024? What elements have stayed the same, and what's changed? Do you think the screen adaptations are successful? Why, or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 7, 2019
- Cast : Laura Linney , Olympia Dukakis , Elliot Page , Charlie Barnett
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Empathy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 22, 2025
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