Netflix is working on a revival of this iconic ’90s LGBTQ drama

It’s been revealed that Netflix is working on a revival of Tales of the City, the legendary and groundbreaking ’90s LGBTQ drama based on the books of the same name by Armistead Maupin.

The original Tales of the City aired first on PBS, with two later seasons appearing on Showtime during the 1990s and early 2000s. The adaptation of Maupin’s novels, which are set in San Francisco from the ’70s and ’80s right up to present day, starred Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis, and was considered, at the time, groundbreaking for its depiction of LGBTQ characters and storylines. Indeed, anyone who has read Maupin’s work will know just how hard it is not to fall in love with 28 Barberry Lane and its residents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOzpSSsJbV8?feature=oembed

Well, according to a report by Variety, Netflix has been developing a revival of Tales of the City.

Michael Cunningham, the author of The Hours, has written the screenplay for the first of 10 proposed episodes, with Maupin himself signing on to executive produce. Alan Poul will direct.

Alongside that, Deadline has reported that both Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis have agreed to sign on to reprise their roles of Mary Ann Singleton and Mrs. Anna Madrigal respectively.

The new mini-series is said to be set in the current day, and sees Mary Ann as she returns to San Fransisco 25 years after being away.

Originally published as a newspaper serial, Maupin’s first Tales of the City book was released in 1978. Since then, the author has published eight more novels, ending the series in 2014 with The Days of Anna Madrigal. The books are considered significant among the LGBTQ community for their accurate and developed portrayal of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender characters, and they were some of the first novels to depict the HIV/AIDs crisis in the 1980s.

While Netflix has yet to comment on the news, Deadline reports that sources confirmed the production, and Armistead Maupin also took to Twitter to confirm that the show was back.

We're baaaack! https://t.co/ch1PdD5kji via @variety

— Armistead Maupin (@ArmisteadMaupin) June 28, 2017

We currently don’t have any more information about the Tales of the City revival, but given how basically every Netflix show is amazing, we’re sure that it’ll be great when it finally arrives.