Watch Tales of the City

Tales of the City is a television miniseries that premiered in 1993, starring Olympia Dukakis, Donald Moffat, Chloe Webb, Laura Linney, Marcus D'Amico, and a host of other notable actors. The series is based on a series of novels by Armistead Maupin, which chronicles the lives of several colorful residents of a San Francisco boarding house in the 1970s.

The show is set in the mid-1970s, and follows the lives and loves of Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney), a small-town girl from Ohio who moves to San Francisco to start a new life, and a variety of other colorful characters who live in the boarding house where she takes up residence. The boarding house itself is run by Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis), a free-spirited transgender woman who serves as the heart and soul of the community.

Over the course of the series, we see Mary Ann navigate her way through a series of romantic entanglements, all while grappling with her own insecurities and uncertainties about her place in the world. Meanwhile, the other residents of the boarding house - including Michael (Marcus D'Amico), a shy and sensitive gay man who is still coming to terms with his sexuality; Mona (Chloe Webb), a wild-child who is always up for a good time; and Brian (Paul Gross), a womanizing lothario who seems to have no trouble snagging any woman he sets his sights on - all have their own dramatic subplots that unfold over the course of the series.

What makes Tales of the City such a standout show is the way that it portrays the lives and loves of its characters with such warmth and empathy. It's a show that deals with weighty issues - including political activism, drug addiction, and the struggles of being LGBTQ+ in a world that is often intolerant - but it does so with a deft touch that never feels preachy or heavy-handed.

Another standout feature of the show is its incredible attention to detail when it comes to period-specific details. From the clothing to the music to the architecture of the city itself, everything about Tales of the City feels like a lovingly-crafted time capsule of a specific moment in American history. And yet, even as it captures the nuances and flavor of the 70s, the show's themes and characters feel just as relevant and resonant today.

Overall, Tales of the City is a beautifully-realized and masterfully-crafted show that is steeped in both heart and humor. With its stellar cast and expert storytelling, it's no wonder that it has become a cult classic over the years - and it remains just as engaging and entertaining today as it was when it first aired nearly three decades ago.

Tales of the City is a series that ran for 4 seasons (26 episodes) between September 28, 1993 and on Digital Rights Group