This miniseries aired five years after the original TALES OF THE CITY mini. The first series aired on PBS; the second was shown on Showtime cable TV. Although filmed 5 years after the original, the story picks up one year after the first series. Only a few of the original actors have returned: Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney, Barbara Garrick, William Campbell, and Thomas Gibson. The other returning characters are played by different actors and the the change is noticeable in a bad way.
Mouse is now played by Paul Hopkins, Mona by Nina Siemaszko, Brian by Whip Hubley, Frannie by Diana Leblanc, and Doro by Francoise Robertson.
Among the new characters are Jackie Burroughs as Mother Mucca, Colin Ferguson as Burke, and Swoosie Kurtz as Mona's mother.
Plot continues as Mouse and Mary Ann (Linney) look for love and Mrs. Madrigal (Dukakis) tells more of her backstory. DeDe continues the story of her pregnancy.
The loss of Chloe Webb as Mona and Marcus D'Amico as Mouse is felt. The new actors can't come close to filling out their quirky characters. But the second installment is saved by the fabulous Jackie Burroughs as the outrageous and foul-mouthed Mother Mucca, a character who ties together the story threads of Mona and Mrs. Madrigal.
Unfortunately, the new storylines for Mouse and Mary Ann aren't very interesting. And production values as a whole are a step down. This Canadian production seems skimpy and set-bound, compared to the original.
