227 (TV series)

227 is an American sitcom that originally aired on the NBC network from September 14, 1985 to May 6, 1990. The program revolves around the lives of the occupants of a Washington, D.C. apartment building numbered 227, nearly all of whom are African American. While the neighborhood's location is never mentioned specifically, the opening credits include an altered photograph of a residential neighborhood close to the Washington Monument; such a neighborhood location is impossible, especially in light of the address.

Beginnings

The series was adapted from a play written by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a predominantly black apartment building in Chicago. The setting of the series was changed to Washington, D.C. to allow the producers to feasibly show a completely black neighborhood (Washington, D.C. is 60% black, while Chicago's black population only comprises about a third, comparable to many other cities in the United States).

Related Topics:
Christine Houston - Chicago

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The show was started as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had first shot to fame as the sassy maid Florence Johnston on The Jeffersons, and had starred in Houston's theater adaptation in Los Angeles. This role was similar in nature to that of tart-tongued Florence; Gibbs' character, housewife Mary Jenkins, loved a good gossip and often spoke what she thought, with sometimes not-so-favorable results.

Related Topics:
Marla Gibbs - The Jeffersons - Los Angeles

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