With Earl Hamner Jr. Having a hand in this show it is no surprise that this show had such a homey feel. While it includes elements and characters from the novel and TV movie "The Women of Brewster Place" it's tone is softer and focuses on the dynamics of friendship, family and community and how they diverge. It does a good job at portraying how many urban Black neighborhoods were with the residents looking out for each other. Oprah reprises her role of Mattie Michael with a younger look but the character still has mature personality and demeanor. Brenda Pressley takes on Etta Mae Johnson and is excellent, but this portrayal is closer to the novel than the film. Olivia Cole brings back Miss Sophie exactly as she was in the film, a nosey and nasty busybody. Each episode is self contained and tells a heartfelt story with sprinkles of humor. At times the tone between episodes feels uneven and at only a half hour the show doesn't have time to flesh out the stories enough so the conclusions feel hurried. Overall it's a series to binge watch when you want something out of the ordinary. Brewster Place was ahead of it's time as a drama series with a mostly Black cast in a time where sitcoms were the only genre where primarily Black casts were seen. Brewster Place showed the very heart and soul of the Black community that often gets overlooked.
