Trivia - Tales of the City

During the pandemic, I stumbled across the original “Tales of the City” miniseries—and I was instantly hooked. Armistead Maupin’s colorful world of 1970s San Francisco pulled me in, and I fell in love with the characters: Mary Ann Singleton, the wide-eyed newcomer; Mouse, the joyful and free-spirited young gay man; and Mrs. Madrigal, the mysterious and wise landlady of 28 Barbary Lane. If I could have crawled into the TV to join them, I would have!

After binging the original, I hunted down the sequels “More Tales of the City” and “Further Tales of the City” (thank you, YouTube!) and devoured them just as quickly. That sent me down a full-on Tales rabbit hole—where I discovered the series had started as a newspaper column, evolved into nine beloved novels, and was even adapted into a musical. Naturally, I read every book in the series and fell even deeper in love with Maupin’s magical storytelling.

Then I saw the Netflix revival, which reunited original cast members Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Paul Gross, and Barbara Garrick. While not a direct adaptation of a single novel, the series beautifully captured the spirit of Maupin’s later books, blending old and new storylines in a touching, modern-day continuation.

So when I launched my podcast Hollywood Obsessed, I knew I had to feature someone from this iconic franchise. Luckily, I got to chat with Paul Hopkins—who played Mouse in the second and third miniseries—and he turned out to be one of the warmest, most entertaining guests I’ve had on the podcast so far. To celebrate our two-part interview (Episodes 129 & 130), I’ve created this trivia-filled blog post all about all the “Tales of the City” movies.

Think you’re a true “Tales of the City” fan? Let’s test your knowledge and take a fabulous trip back to 28 Barbary Lane. Ready? Let’s go!

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TALES OF THE CITY - 1993 (Original Miniseries)

Tales of the City began as a serialized column written by Armistead Maupin and published in the San Francisco Chronicle. Maupin is the author of eleven novels, including the nine-volume Tales of the City series, which inspired three limited television series starring Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis.

The Tales stories were originally serialized before being novelized. The first four titles appeared as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth was published in the San Francisco Examiner. The remaining titles were not serialized and were written directly as novels.

Following the plot of Maupin’s first book, the original miniseries begins in the summer of 1976, as Mary Ann Singleton decides to remain in San Francisco after her vacation. The story spans the following months and concludes on New Year’s Day, 1977.

No, 28 Barbary Lane isn’t real—but it sure feels like it is! The iconic address from Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series is fictional, but it was inspired by Macondray Lane, a real alley tucked into San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood. While the house and its quirky residents were creations of Maupin’s imagination, the charm of Macondray Lane—with its wooden stairs, lush greenery, and tucked-away feel—makes it a must-visit spot for fans of the series.

Fans still flock to Macondray Lane, drawn by its storybook vibe and its connection to Maupin’s beloved world. It’s the perfect place to feel like you’ve stepped into the pages of Tales of the City.

The original six-part miniseries was an international collaboration, produced by Britain’s Channel 4, San Francisco’s KQED, and American Playhouse.

Controversial at the time for its frank portrayal of homosexuality, nudity, and drug use, Tales of the City still made waves—becoming PBS’s highest-rated dramatic program ever when it premiered.

The miniseries marked the final performances for two screen legends. More Tales of the City featured the final on-screen appearance of McLean Stevenson (as Booter Manigault), while Further Tales of the City was the last miniseries/movie role for Edie Adams (as Ruby Miller).

Michael “Mouse” Tolliver was inspired by Armistead Maupin himself. Maupin based the beloved character on his own experiences as a gay man in 1970s San Francisco. In the original 1993 miniseries, Mouse was portrayed by stage actor Marcus D’Amico, who also starred in Angels in America. D’Amico did not return for More Tales in 1998, and later said in a 2003 interview, “I did get typecast in gay roles, but it now no longer worries me.”

Several big names—including Sir Ian McKellen and Rod Steiger—joined the cast and creative team simply because they were either personal friends or longtime fans of Armistead Maupin and his work.

The miniseries was a ratings success, and PBS originally planned to adapt the entire Tales book series. But the show drew fire from the conservative American Family Association, which labeled it "immoral." The group compiled a 12-minute highlight reel featuring every gay kiss, scene of nudity, moment of swearing, and instance of drug use—then sent it to every member of Congress. Spooked by the backlash, PBS executives quickly pulled the plug on future adaptations.

After PBS dropped the sequel under political pressure. Britain’s Channel 4 eventually moved forward with the sequel, More Tales of the City, partnering with Showtime—who later produced the follow-up Further Tales of the City on their own.

It was Tales creator Armistead Maupin himself who suggested casting Olympia Dukakis as the mysterious and beloved Mrs. Madrigal—a role that became one of the most iconic performances of her career.

Parker Posey, who played Mary Ann’s quirky high school friend Connie Bradshaw in the original miniseries, made brief appearances in both the second (More Tales of the City) and third (Further Tales of the City) installments—blink and you might miss her!

Tales of the City won a prestigious Peabody Award, honoring excellence in storytelling and social impact. The groundbreaking miniseries was a transatlantic collaboration between KQED in San Francisco and Propaganda/Working Title Productions for Channel 4 Television in the UK—proving that powerful, inclusive storytelling knows no borders!

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MORE TALES OF THE CITY - 1998

By the time More Tales of the City was written, author Armistead Maupin had reached nearly the same age as his beloved character Mrs. Madrigal. As a result, he found himself rewriting much of her dialogue to reflect the wisdom and life experience he had gained over the years—making her voice even more personal and profound.

Despite his acclaimed performance as Michael “Mouse” Tolliver in the original Tales of the City miniseries, Marcus D’Amico did not appear in the 1998 sequel More Tales of the City. The role was recast with Paul Hopkins, who reprised the role again in Further Tales of the City (2001).

Addressing the recasts of Mouse, Brian, and Mona in the sequels, Maupin explained: “Paul Gross was committed to his own series, Due South. Chloe Webb had been excited to return as Mona but backed out when producers declined her request to be paid more than the rest of the cast.” The show followed a favored nations agreement, meaning lead actors were paid equally—so no one could be compensated more than Laura Linney, Thomas Gibson, Billy Campbell, or Barbara Garrick. As for Marcus D’Amico, Maupin clarified that rumors about his sexuality being an issue were false. The production team met with Marcus, but he expressed ambivalence about returning. Ultimately, the director felt it was important to find someone who would embrace the role wholeheartedly.

Thomas Gibson reprised his role as the scheming Beauchamp Day in More Tales of the City, while Mary Kay Place, who had a brief cameo as Prue Giroux in the original series, returned as a major character in Further Tales of the City.

Jackie Burroughs, who played the outrageous Mother Mucca, was cast as the mother of Olympia Dukakis’ character, Anna Madrigal—but in real life, Burroughs was actually eight years younger than Dukakis!

In More Tales of the City, Paul Hopkins took over the role of Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, Whip Hubley played Brian Hawkins, and Nina Siemaszko joined as Mona Ramsey. Both Hopkins and Hubley returned for Further Tales of the City, continuing their characters’ journeys.

Tales creator Armistead Maupin made cameo appearances in all three miniseries, delighting fans with his subtle nods to the world he created.

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FURTHER TALES OF THE CITY - 2001

The character Cage Tyler, portrayed by John Robinson in Further Tales of the City, was loosely based on real-life actor Rock Hudson, whom Armistead Maupin had met. In the original novel, the character was never named and was instead represented by two underscored lines (e.g., “Michael went to visit the home of movie star ____ _____”)—a respectful choice made to avoid outing Hudson without his consent. The name “Cage Tyler” was created exclusively for the miniseries adaptation.

In More Tales of the City, the film that Brian is watching when Jennifer Rabinowitz sits next to him is the iconic French comedy La Cage aux Folles, a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ film released in 1978.

Sandra Oh, who plays newscaster Bambi Kanetaka in Further Tales of the City, would later go on to portray the adult version of Anna Day in the 2006 film adaptation of The Night Listener—a character briefly seen as a toddler in Further Tales.

Mother Mucca did not appear in the original book that Further Tales was based on. However, author Armistead Maupin was so impressed by Jackie Burroughs’ unforgettable performance in More Tales of the City that he wrote an entirely new storyline just to bring her back for the sequel.

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TALES OF THE CITY NETFLIX REVIVAL - 2019

A fourth installment, Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, premiered on Netflix on June 7, 2019, with Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Barbara Garrick, and Paul Gross reprising their iconic roles.

Unlike the original three miniseries, which were direct adaptations of Maupin’s novels, this 10-part revival blended core characters with elements from his later Tales books to craft a fresh, contemporary story—set mostly in present-day San Francisco.

In the revival, Murray Bartlett steps into the role of Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, Mary Ann’s beloved best friend from 28 Barbary Lane. Bartlett brought a new depth to the character while honoring the legacy of those who played him before.

In the original books and earlier miniseries, DeDe Halcyon-Day gives birth to twins fathered by an Asian delivery boy. In the Netflix version, two Asian twins, Ani and Raven, live at Barbary Lane and share scenes with DeDe—though their exact relationship is left open-ended.

Murray Bartlett and Matthew Risch (who plays Harrison) previously appeared together in the HBO series Looking, also set in San Francisco. Dan Butler, who plays Dan, a friend of Harrison’s in the revival, previously appeared in More Tales of the City as Edward Bass Matheson.

Paul Gross reprised his role as Brian Hawkins for the first time since the original 1993 miniseries. In the sequels (More Tales and Further Tales), the role had been played by Whip Hubley.

The 2019 Netflix revival won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Limited Series at the 31st GLAAD Media Awards. It marked the third time the franchise was honored by GLAAD, following wins for the original Tales of the City in 1995 and More Tales of the City in 1999.

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Trivia facts lovingly sourced from IMDb and Wikipedia—because even the most devoted fans need a little fact-check now and then!

And don’t forget to check out my exclusive two-part interview with Canadian actor Paul Hopkins, who took on the iconic role of Michael “Mouse” Tolliver in the miniseries More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City. It’s a nostalgic, funny, and deeply personal conversation you won’t want to miss on the latest episodes of the Hollywood Obsessed podcast!

Episode 129 - HERE

Episode 130 - HERE