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.

Brewster Place
GenreDrama
Based onThe Women of Brewster Place
by Gloria Naylor
Written byMaya Angelou
Paul W. Cooper
Earl Hamner, Jr.
Dianne Houston
Don Sipes
Directed byIvan Dixon
Jan Eliasberg
Bill Duke
Helaine Head
StarringOprah Winfrey
Brenda Pressley
Olivia Cole
Rachael Crawford
Kelly Neal
John Cothran Jr.
Oscar Brown Jr.
John Speredakos
Jason Weaver
Theme music composerDavid Shire
Opening themePerformed by Take 6
ComposerDavid Shire
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes11 (2 unaired)
Production
Executive producersEarl Hamner, Jr.
Don Sipes
Oprah Winfrey
ProducersReuben Cannon
Stan Kallis
EditorsDann Cahn
Quinnie Martin, Jr.
Joe Morrisey
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesAmanda Productions
The Don Sipes Organization
Harpo Productions
Hearst Entertainment
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMay 1 (1990-05-01) –
July 11, 1990 (1990-07-11)
Related

Plot

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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 11 episodes has since been released on both VHS and DVD.

Cast

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Episodes

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No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date
1"Pilot"UnknownUnknownMay 1, 1990 (1990-05-01)
2"Open for Business"UnknownUnknownMay 8, 1990 (1990-05-08)
3"One Small Step at a Time"UnknownUnknownMay 9, 1990 (1990-05-09)
4"Spring Fever"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 1990 (1990-05-16)
5"Whatever Happened to Patience Jones?"UnknownUnknownMay 30, 1990 (1990-05-30)
6"Gone Fishing"UnknownUnknownJune 13, 1990 (1990-06-13)
7"Bernice Sands Comes Home"UnknownUnknownJune 20, 1990 (1990-06-20)
8"The Poet"UnknownUnknownJune 27, 1990 (1990-06-27)
9"Family Album"Helaine HeadJohnny DawkinsJuly 4, 1990 (1990-07-04)
10"Say It Loud"Roy Campanella, IIDianne HoustonJuly 11, 1990 (1990-07-11)
11"Partners"TBDTBDUNAIRED
12"County General"Helaine HeadKathy McCormick & Dianne HoustonUNAIRED

Ratings

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  • 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

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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

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  1. ^ "Television reviews for week of May 11, 1990". Entertainment Weekly. 11 May 1990. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
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