In 1993, the UK’s Channel 4 premiered its television miniseries Tales Of the City, based on the popular book series by author Armistead Maupin. The series eventually aired on PBS in 1994 and went on to have two follow-up miniseries adaptations in 1998 and 2001 (airing on PBS and Showtime, respectively). The series centers on a colorful array of characters living at the apartment complex on 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco, California. The legendary Olympia Dukakis portrayed the complex’s owner Anna Madrigal while Laura Linney played the midwestern Mary Ann Singleton, who is looking for an escape in the city. Earlier this month, the series received a fourth installment on Netflix, combining original cast members with a new, even more inclusive addition of characters.

Nearly two decades after the 2001 installment, the 10-epsidoe series picks up with Mary Ann and her now husband Robert (Michael Park) catching a flight from the east coast to San Francisco in order to celebrate Anna’s 90th birthday. Nervous about returning to the place she left behind years ago, Mary Ann is happily greeted by Anna, new tenants of the complex, her old friend Michael (now played by Murray Bartlett), and comes to face-to-face with her ex-husband Brian (Paul Gross, reprising his role from the original series). To make matters worse, Mary Ann is introduced to the young daughter they had together, Shawna (Ellen Page). As those two deal with the hidden details regarding their past, Anna herself has her own secret to wrestle with–one that could threaten not only her livelihood, but the tenants of 28 Barbary Lane.

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While the series continues on with the original characters and their angles (Dukakis is spectacular as always while Linney easily settles back into a role she embraced early in her career) , it also places a light on the new, inclusive members of the franchise. The cast is riddled with representation from the LGBTQ community, telling intertwining stories involving gay, lesbian, drag queens, pansexual, and transgendered characters. There’s Jake and Margot (Garcia and May Hong), a lesbian couple now dealing with Jake’s gender change from female to male. Shawna, the bartender of the “Body Politic” queer burlesque bar, who has commitment issues with either gender while now having to deal with the added stress of her mother’s return. Michael and Ben (Charlie Barnett) who deal with their generational gap as well as Michael’s history of previous boyfriends. And then there’s Ani and Jonathan (Ashley Park and Christopher Larkin, respectively), a brother-sister duo who are just trying to find fame and success through their social media profiles and content.

Labeled as a drama, the series does provide plenty of funny, even sidesplitting moments as these characters find themselves in compromising positions–especially when Michael and Ben discover what the acronym NDQ means in regards to a “hook-up” app user’s profile. However, Tales Of The City successfully depicts the constant topics and debates that not only reside from outside the LGBTQ community, but also from within. The effects a gender change can have on a loving couple. The impact of loving someone who is part of an oppressive institution. How word usage differs between a millennial LGBTQ member and one who survived the destructive and intolerant time of the 1960s, and how that difference can spark an emotional debate and disagreement. Netflix’s follow-up miniseries provides all this in a well-bundled, beautifully presented package that will make you laugh, break your heart, and open your eyes to the world around you and the many vibrantly intriguing people that live in it. To put it simply, Tales Of The City is a tale of love for everyone.

Tales Of The City is currently streaming on Netflix.

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