Netflix has today confirmed a revival of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City as a 10-episode limited series with Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis and Barbara Garrick set to reprise their roles from the original miniseries that aired on Showtime and PBS in the 1990s. Furthermore, Ellen Page has joined the cast today.
Based on the books by Maupin, the new episodes follow Mary Ann Singleton (Linney), who returns home to San Francisco and is reunited with her daughter (Page) and ex-husband Brian, 20 years after leaving them behind to pursue her career. Fleeing the midlife crisis that her picture-perfect Connecticut life created, Mary Ann returns home to her chosen family and will quickly be drawn back into the orbit of Anna Madrigal (Dukakis) and the residents of 28 Barbary Lane.
Lauren Morelli (Orange Is the New Black) will serve as showrunner on the new miniseries. She will executive produce with Linney, Maupin, Andrew Stearn, Liza Chasin, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and director Alan Poul. NBCUniversal International Studios and Working Title Television will produce.
"I couldn't be more excited about this brand-new incarnation of Tales. It's set in present-day San Francisco with all the joys and complications that might suggest for the residents of 28 Barbary Lane," said Maupin. "Mrs. Madrigal's tenants, both old and new, will be entangled in delicious new adventures and ever-expanding possibilities for love."
"The magical, vivid world that Armistead Maupin built in Tales of the City is one that offered so many - particularly the LGBTQ+ community - a home for the first time," added Morelli. "For many, Tales was the first time they saw themselves on screen. I am humbled to now find my own home within Tales and to continue telling Armistead's stories."
"For me, the opportunity to come back to a series I started work on 25 years ago is the homecoming of a lifetime," said Poul. "There's never been a better moment to reignite Armistead's timeless take on family and community, and I'm thrilled to be collaborating with such a brilliant mix of old friends and new."
