Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Brewster Place.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Brewster Place
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
| Brewster Place | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor |
| Written by | Maya Angelou Paul W. Cooper Earl Hamner, Jr. Dianne Houston Don Sipes |
| Directed by | Ivan Dixon Jan Eliasberg Bill Duke Helaine Head |
| Starring | Oprah Winfrey Brenda Pressley Olivia Cole Rachael Crawford Kelly Neal John Cothran Jr. Oscar Brown Jr. John Speredakos Jason Weaver |
| Theme music composer | David Shire |
| Opening theme | Performed by Take 6 |
| Composer | David Shire |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (2 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Earl Hamner, Jr. Don Sipes Oprah Winfrey |
| Producers | Reuben Cannon Stan Kallis |
| Editors | Dann Cahn Quinnie Martin, Jr. Joe Morrisey |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Amanda Productions The Don Sipes Organization Harpo Productions Hearst Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | May 1 – July 11, 1990 |
| Related | |
Brewster Place is an American drama series which aired on ABC in May 1990. The series was a spinoff of the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, which was based upon Gloria Naylor's novel of the same name. The series starred talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who also served as co-executive producer.
Plot
[edit]Set in 1967, the series begin with events following the end of the 1989 miniseries, The Women of Brewster Place. Mattie Michael (Oprah Winfrey) 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) 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, on the lot of Winfrey's Harpo Productions. It failed to capture the audience and critical acclaim of the miniseries, and was cancelled after a month. However, the full season of 12 episodes has since been released on both VHS and DVD.
Cast
[edit]- Oprah Winfrey as Mattie Michael
- Rachael Crawford as Melanie "Kiswana" Browne
- Brenda Pressley as Etta Mae Johnson
- Olivia Cole 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
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Bill Duke | Earl Hamner Jr. & Don Sipes | May 1, 1990 |
| 2 | "Open for Business" | Helaine Head | Paul W. Cooper | May 8, 1990 |
| 3 | "One Small Step at a Time" | Ivan Dixon | Story by : Earl Hamner Jr. & Don Sipes Teleplay by : Dianne Houston | May 9, 1990 |
| 4 | "Spring Fever" | Ivan Dixon | Dianne Houston | May 16, 1990 |
| 5 | "Whatever Happened to Patience Jones?" | Ivan Dixon | Andrew Sipes | May 30, 1990 |
| 6 | "Gone Fishing" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Paul W. Cooper | June 13, 1990 |
| 7 | "Bernice Sands Comes Home" | Helaine Head | Dianne Houston | June 20, 1990 |
| 8 | "The Poet" | Jan Eliasberg | Unknown | June 27, 1990 |
| 9 | "Family Album" | Helaine Head | Johnny Dawkins | July 4, 1990 |
| 10 | "Say It Loud" | Roy Campanella, II | Dianne Houston | July 11, 1990 |
| 11 | "Partners" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED |
| 12 | "County General" | Helaine Head | Kathy McCormick & Dianne Houston | UNAIRED |
Ratings
[edit]- 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
[edit]Entertainment Weekly 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."[1]
References
[edit]- ^ "Television reviews for week of May 11, 1990". Entertainment Weekly. May 11, 1990. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
External links
[edit]Brewster Place
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Background and Development
Origins in Novel and Miniseries
Gloria Naylor's debut novel The Women of Brewster Place, published in 1982 by Viking Press, introduced the fictional dead-end street of Brewster Place as a central setting for interconnected vignettes portraying the hardships and solidarity of seven Black women in an unnamed Northern industrial city.[5] The work, blending elements of realism and symbolism, drew from Naylor's observations of urban Black female experiences amid economic decline and social isolation, earning critical acclaim for its vivid character studies and communal focus.[6] It received the National Book Award for First Fiction in 1983, highlighting its impact as a seminal text in African American literature.[5] The novel's adaptation into a two-part television miniseries aired on ABC on March 19 and 20, 1989, marking an early project for Oprah Winfrey's production company, Harpo Productions, established in 1986.[7] Winfrey, who also starred as the resilient matriarch Mattie Michael, spearheaded the effort to bring Naylor's stories to screen, emphasizing authentic portrayals of the women's struggles with poverty, racism, and personal trauma while retaining the novel's episodic structure.[8] Directed by Donna Rachmil and written by Karen Hall, the miniseries featured an all-Black cast including Cicely Tyson, Robin Givens, and Lynn Whitfield, and achieved high ratings, averaging 23% of U.S. households.[9] This adaptation preserved the novel's core depiction of Brewster Place as a walled-off enclave symbolizing entrapment and mutual support, though it condensed some narratives for broadcast pacing.[10]Series Conception and Production Decisions
The Brewster Place series originated as a direct continuation of the 1989 ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, which Harpo Productions adapted from Gloria Naylor's 1982 novel of the same name. Harpo, founded by Oprah Winfrey in 1986, selected the project as one of its earliest major endeavors beyond Winfrey's syndicated talk show, aiming to highlight narratives of African American women navigating urban hardship, family dynamics, and community bonds in a decaying tenement setting. The miniseries, telecast on March 19 and 20, 1989, featured Winfrey in the lead role of Mattie Michael and an ensemble cast portraying interconnected residents, drawing on the novel's structure of vignette-style stories to emphasize resilience amid systemic challenges like poverty and discrimination.[7][11][12] Perceived cultural significance and representation value prompted the spin-off decision, despite the miniseries garnering mixed critical reception—some reviewers deemed it narratively uneven—and modest viewership that fell short of blockbuster status. ABC and Harpo opted to extend the format into a weekly series to sustain viewer interest in the characters' post-miniseries trajectories, commencing in 1967 with plots centered on Mattie purchasing a local restaurant alongside friend Etta Mae Johnson. This choice reflected Harpo's strategy to leverage Winfrey's growing media influence for serialized storytelling focused on ensemble-driven episodes, each self-contained yet building on prior events, rather than a traditional miniseries finale.[13][14] Production emphasized Harpo's oversight, with Winfrey as co-executive producer alongside partners like the Don Sipes Organization, prioritizing an all-African American cast continuity from the miniseries to maintain authenticity in depicting inner-city life. A key decision was adopting a half-hour runtime per episode—approximately 23 minutes excluding commercials—to fit ABC's scheduling needs and differentiate from hour-long dramas, allowing for concise, issue-oriented tales infused with humor and interpersonal focus. Filming occurred primarily at Harpo Studios in Chicago, capitalizing on infrastructure from the miniseries, though the format's brevity sometimes resulted in tonal inconsistencies across the 11 produced episodes (one remaining unaired). These choices underscored a commitment to accessible, community-centric drama but aligned with network priorities over expansive novel fidelity.[2][3][15]Production Details
Casting Process
The casting for Brewster Place retained Oprah Winfrey in the central role of Mattie Michael, reprised from her performance in the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, where she also served as executive producer.[2] As co-executive producer for the series through her Harpo Productions in association with King-Phoenix Entertainment, Winfrey collaborated with producers Earl Hamner Jr. and Don Sipes to assemble an ensemble emphasizing African-American actresses capable of sustaining weekly narratives centered on community life in a urban tenement.[16] [17] Olivia Cole returned as Miss Sophie, maintaining narrative continuity from the miniseries.[2] Several prominent roles were recast to form the series' core group: Brenda Pressley portrayed Etta Mae Johnson, succeeding Jackée Harry; Rachael Crawford assumed the role of Kiswana Browne, following Robin Givens; and new additions included Kelly Neal as Abshu Kamau, Tisha Campbell as Maxine Chadway, and Michelle Reese as Sophie James.[3] [2] This approach prioritized actors available for extended commitments, expanding the cast to 20 principal members while focusing on performers with prior television experience to depict intergenerational relationships and social challenges authentically.[17] Specific audition details or casting director credits for the series remain undocumented in production records, unlike the miniseries, which credited Eileen Mack Knight and received a Casting Society of America nomination.[18]Filming Locations and Techniques
The Brewster Place television series was filmed entirely in Chicago, Illinois, utilizing both studio facilities and urban exteriors to portray the fictional dilapidated housing project. Interior scenes, including apartment and communal spaces, were primarily shot at Harpo Studios, located at 1058 W. Washington Street in the Near West Side neighborhood.[2] This production hub, owned by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions, facilitated controlled environment filming for the series' 11 half-hour episodes.[3] Exterior shots drew from Chicago's Pilsen community area, specifically the Oakley Avenue corridor near 24th Street, to evoke the gritty, working-class urban decay central to the narrative. Local businesses along this stretch served as backdrops, with facades capturing storefronts and residential vibes without prominently displaying original signage to maintain fictional integrity. Notable sites included Bruna’s Ristorante at 2424 S. Oakley Ave., rebranded as "La Scala" in scenes; Toscano at 2439 S. Oakley Ave.; La Fontanella at 2414 S. Oakley Ave.; Bacchanalia at 2413 S. Oakley Ave.; and Villa Marconi at 2358 S. Oakley Ave.[19] Exterior filming began in March 1990, aligning with the series' pre-airing production timeline ahead of its May debut on ABC.[19] Production techniques adhered to conventional early-1990s network television practices, emphasizing efficient studio-based videotaping at Harpo for interiors to support the half-hour dramatic format, supplemented by on-location exteriors for realism in community and street scenes.[20] No innovative cinematographic methods, such as extensive Steadicam usage or non-linear editing, are documented in available production accounts, reflecting the era's standard multi-camera setups optimized for broadcast schedules rather than cinematic flair.Content and Themes
Plot Summary
Brewster Place is a drama series that continues the stories of characters from the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, focusing on the lives of residents in a rundown urban tenement housing a predominantly Black community.[2] The central narrative revolves around Mattie Michael, portrayed by Oprah Winfrey, a resilient matriarch who faces unemployment after being fired from her job as a beautician.[21] Teaming up with her best friend Etta Mae Johnson, Mattie purchases the neighborhood restaurant LaScala, marking the launch of their entrepreneurial venture amid economic hardships.[21] The series depicts the opening and operation of LaScala, highlighting the operational challenges encountered by Mattie and Etta Mae on launch day, including logistical issues and community interactions.[21] Through episodic storylines, it explores the interconnected relationships, personal trials, and mutual support among the tenement's inhabitants, emphasizing themes of friendship, family resilience, and neighborhood solidarity in the face of urban decay and social pressures.[21] Although planned for a full season, only a limited number of episodes aired, with the plot arcs centering on the restaurant's role as a communal hub for the women's ongoing struggles and triumphs.[2]Character Arcs and Relationships
Mattie Michael, the series' central protagonist played by Oprah Winfrey, undergoes an arc of professional reinvention after being fired from her job as a beautician, leading her to co-purchase and manage the neighborhood restaurant with lifelong friend Etta Mae Johnson. This transition from wage labor to entrepreneurship illustrates her resilience and role as a stabilizing force in the community, fostering economic independence amid urban decay.[22][3] Etta Mae Johnson, portrayed by Brenda Pressley, complements Mattie's arc as her steadfast business partner and confidante, their partnership rooted in decades of mutual support that began in their youth. Their relationship exemplifies the series' emphasis on enduring female bonds, providing emotional and practical solidarity against personal hardships like job loss and neighborhood decline.[22][3] Kiswana Browne, enacted by Rachael Crawford, represents youthful idealism as a politically active resident, her arc involving tensions between radical activism and community responsibilities in the 1967 setting. Her romantic and ideological partnership with Abshu Kamau, played by Kelly Neal, introduces conflicts over priorities, highlighting intergenerational and interpersonal dynamics within Brewster Place.[22] Supporting characters like Miss Sophie (Olivia Cole), an elder with traditional perspectives, interact with the group through advisory roles, often clashing with younger residents over social changes, while child character Matthew Thomas (Jason Weaver) underscores familial extensions of the community's relational web. Overall, relationships among the women prioritize collective survival and mentorship, with Mattie as the pivotal connector bridging personal ambitions and communal ties.[22][2]Portrayal of Social Issues
The Brewster Place series depicts urban poverty as a pervasive force shaping residents' lives in a dilapidated housing project, where economic stagnation manifests in overcrowded tenements, limited job opportunities, and community-wide financial strain affecting characters like Mattie Michael and her neighbors. This portrayal underscores structural barriers faced by working-class black families in 1990s America, including reliance on informal networks for survival amid failing infrastructure and absentee landlords.[16] Racial tensions are illustrated through subtle societal frictions, such as distrust of external authorities and echoes of broader urban conflicts, positioning Brewster Place as a microcosm of racial isolation and intermittent prejudice without overt white antagonists dominating the narrative. The series contrasts these challenges with an emphasis on interracial possibilities and moral uplift, presenting racial issues as navigable through personal resilience and ethical community bonds rather than insurmountable systemic racism. Critics observed this approach as reflective of a "Waltons sensibility" imposed on ghetto realities, potentially understating the depth of institutional discrimination documented in contemporaneous urban studies.[16][23] Domestic violence and gender-based hardships appear in character arcs involving strained relationships and patriarchal pressures, where women endure emotional and physical abuse from partners or family, yet respond with collective solidarity rather than victimhood. This framing highlights intra-community gender dynamics, including absentee fathers and overburdened single mothers, but has drawn criticism for disproportionately negative depictions of black men as perpetrators or peripherals, aligning with feminist emphases in the source material while risking one-sidedness in portraying male roles. Such elements extend the miniseries' exploration of violence's cyclical nature, though the weekly format softens graphic intensity to suit broadcast standards, prioritizing redemptive arcs over unrelenting despair.[23][24]Episodes
Episode Guide
The Brewster Place television series aired 11 episodes during its single season on ABC, primarily from May 1 to July 11, 1990, with one additional episode broadcast later that year.[22] The episodes focused on the daily lives, challenges, and relationships among residents of the fictional Brewster Place tenement in 1967, building on characters from the preceding miniseries.[25]| Episode | Title | Original Air Date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | May 1, 1990 | Oprah Winfrey stars as Mattie Michael in this spinoff, depicting the interconnected lives of residents in a close-knit urban community facing economic and social hardships.[25] |
| 2 | Open for Business | May 8, 1990 | Mattie and her friend Etta Mae open LaScala Restaurant, encountering numerous operational and interpersonal issues on their debut day.[25][4] |
| 3 | One Small Step at a Time | May 9, 1990 | Residents navigate incremental personal progress amid community dynamics; specific plot details emphasize gradual problem-solving in daily tenement life.[25] |
| 4 | Spring Fever | May 16, 1990 | Romantic tensions rise among Brewster Place inhabitants as seasonal changes stir affections, including potential interests for Mattie.[25][4] |
| 5 | Whatever Happened to Patience Jones? | May 30, 1990 | The storyline explores the disappearance or transformation of a character named Patience Jones, tying into broader themes of loss and resilience in the neighborhood.[25] |
| 6 | Gone Fishing | June 13, 1990 | Young Matthew endures bullying from Lester, with resolution emerging during a family fishing outing that uncovers underlying causes of the aggression.[25][4] |
| 7 | Bernice Sands Comes Home | June 20, 1990 | Sophie and Jessie welcome a enigmatic new tenant, Bernice Sands, who arrives destitute yet recounts tales of past opulence among elites, prompting suspicion and intrigue.[25][4] |
| 8 | The Poet | June 27, 1990 | Focus shifts to artistic expression and personal storytelling within the community, highlighting a resident's poetic endeavors amid everyday struggles.[25] |
| 9 | Family Album | July 4, 1990 | Episodes delves into familial histories and bonds, using recollections to strengthen ties among Brewster Place's diverse households.[25] |
| 10 | Say It Loud | July 11, 1990 | Themes of vocal advocacy and self-assertion dominate as characters confront injustices and assert their identities in the face of external pressures.[25] |
| 11 | County General | October 26, 1990 (post-cancellation airing) | Mattie grapples with anxiety over Etta Mae's hospitalization following a collapse, while supporting Matthew through his own bereavement.[25][4][22] |