# Tales of the City (2019)

> Mary Ann Singleton returns to San Francisco after two decades away and is drawn back into the queer chosen family at 28 Barbary Lane.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/74495

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Lauren Morelli
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Laura Linney, Elliot Page, Paul Gross, Murray Bartlett, Charlie Barnett, Garcia, May Hong, Olympia Dukakis
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7087260/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, nostalgic, warm, tender, anxious

## What critics say

Audiences found this revival of the Tales of the City saga warm and nostalgic, though its reception is modest and split on whether it captures the original's spirit.

## Synopsis

Tales of the City (2019) is a Netflix limited series created by Lauren Morelli, a ten-episode American drama that revisits the beloved Armistead Maupin world. Laura Linney plays Mary Ann Singleton, a Connecticut wife and mother who abandons her picture-perfect life to return to present-day San Francisco and reconnect with her daughter. Olympia Dukakis returns as Anna Madrigal, the matriarch of 28 Barbary Lane, whose sprawling apartment building serves as the heart of a queer chosen family. Elliot Page plays Shawna Hawkins, a young woman navigating love and identity, while Murray Bartlett brings warmth to Michael Tolliver. Mary Ann's engine is the search for a life that finally feels true, as she slowly reenters a community that has moved on without her. Each episode unfolds through small domestic dramas, romantic entanglements, and quiet confessions in shared kitchens and hallways. The tone is wistful and nostalgic, tender and occasionally anxious, with a soapy warmth. Set in contemporary San Francisco, it balances the city's bohemian legacy with modern queer life. Fans of Looking, Pose and Girls will find resonance in its intimate character focus and generational tension.

## Shows like Tales of the City

- [Sullivan's Crossing (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/132941)
- [When We Rise (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59756)
- [Uncoupled (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/124740)
- [POSE (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68154)
- [Feel Good (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/83725)
- [Banana (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55157)
- [It's a Sin (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/96756)
- [Grace and Frankie (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55447)
- [Tales of the City (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/17350)
- [Fellow Travelers (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/136523)

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