''Brewster Place'' is an American

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...

which aired on ABC in May 1990. The series was a spinoff of the 1989

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' The Women of Brewster Place'', which was based upon Gloria Naylor's novel of the same name. The series starred

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

host

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

, who also served as co-

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

Plot

Set in 1967, the series begin with events following the end of the 1989

, '' The Women of Brewster Place''. Mattie Michael (

) is fired from her job as a beautician, and agrees to purchase a neighborhood restaurant with her best friend Etta Mae (Brenda Pressley). Kiswana (Rachel Crawford), Abshu ( Kelly Neal), and Miss Sophie (

Olivia Cole Olivia Carlena Cole (November 26, 1942 – January 19, 2018) was an American actress, best known for her Emmy Awards, Emmy Award-winning role in the 1977 miniseries ''Roots (1977 miniseries), Roots''. Early life and education Cole was born in M ...

) are still residents of Brewster Place, and various other individuals move onto the block as the series progresses. The series was filmed entirely in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, on the lot of Winfrey's

Harpo Productions Harpo Productions (or Harpo Studios) is an American multimedia Film production, production company (law), company founded by Oprah Winfrey and based in West Hollywood, California. The name "Harpo" is "Oprah" anadrome, spelled backwards, and it w ...

. It failed to capture the audience and critical acclaim of the miniseries, and was cancelled after a month. However, the full season of 11 episodes has since been released on both VHS and DVD.

Cast

as Mattie Michael *Rachael Crawford as Melanie "Kiswana" Browne *Brenda Pressley as Etta Mae Johnson *

as Miss Sophie * Kelly Neal as Abshu Kamau *John Cothran as Ralph Thomas * Oscar Brown Jr. as Jessie *John Speredakos as Mickey Adriano * Jason Weaver as Matthew Thomas

Episodes

Ratings

*Episode 1: 15.3 rating/21.9 million viewers *Episode 2: 13.2 rating *Episode 3: 9.7 rating *Episode 4: 10.1 *Episode 5: 9 *Episode 6: 7.6 rating/11.9 million viewers

Reception

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' gave the series a grade of B−, and reviewed the show mildly favorably, stating, "There's something warm and comforting about ''Brewster Place'', and something complacent and artificial as well."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0098757, Brewster Place 1990s American drama television series 1990 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings American television spinoffs Television series set in the 1960s Television series set in 1967 American English-language television shows Period television series Television shows set in Chicago American Broadcasting Company television dramas