The original play, 227, had been written by Chris­ tine Houston of Chicago and performed by Marla Gibbs's own Cross Roads Academy, a local community theater troupe in Los Angeles. After its successful theatrical debut, 227 was soon adapted and produced for television by Lorimar. In its earliest episodes, 227 was criticized as being too much like The Cosby Show, another highly successful, predominantly African­ American sitcom broadcast on NBC in the 1980s. However, even in its first year, 227 proved successful in its own right, earning top ratings that opening season. While The Cosby Show portrayed an image of upper-middle-class success, 227 supporters argued, 227 depicted a more working-class image of the same strong community and family values.

With most episodes taking place within and around the apartment building, from the front steps to the laundry room to the individual apartments, 227 invited the viewer within the most mundane and personal aspects of its characters' lives. The Jenkins, Mary and Lester, were one of the families struggling day by day to survive their various duties and commitments. Mary, played by Marla Gibbs (whose 11 seasons as the feisty, verbally aggressive maid Florence on The Jeffersons no doubt prepared her for this similarly outspoken character}, was a mother of one, juggling the numerous responsibilities of household, family, and personal life with invariably humorous results. Lester, played by Hal Williams, was a father and small-time contractor struggling to stay on top of his own family and job responsibilities. Together, Mary and Lester had their hands full with daughter Brenda (Regina King) , a studious, talented, and mostly well-behaved girl just beginning adolescence.

Other   important   characters   included   Rose Holloway,   Mary's  confidante   in   gossip,   portrayed by Alaina  Reed.  Rose, the landlady  of  building 227, of­ten sat  with  Mary on  the front  steps as they laughed and gossiped about various other residents. In particu­lar, Rose and Mary enjoyed discussing and berating sexually outspoken tenant Sandra Clark, the building's resident vamp. Played by Jackee, the one-named wonder who made Sandra, and herself, famous, San­dra's whining voice and wiggling, tight-dressed body became staple features of 227. Her many men friends and sexually oriented antics a source of constant humor, Sandra sauntered through episode after episode, occasionally eliciting help from Mary for some dilemma she was experiencing. Another frequent front-porch gossip was Pearl Shay (Helen Martin}, an older woman who often leaned out her front window to comment on Rose and Mary's discussions. The grandmother of young Calvin Dobbs (Curtis Baldwin), the burgeoning love interest of Brenda Jenkins, Pearl's time was frequently spent scolding and disciplining this gangly adolescent grandson.

     Successful in depicting the everyday aspects of its many characters' lives, 227 offered an interesting working-class version of African-American values and images. The program brought the viewer within its characters' lives, providing a personal look within this entertaining apartment complex.