Clean Slate

Episodes falling later in the season treat social and political topics with similar authenticity. .... Holding everything together are Wallace’s and Cox’s vibrant chemistry and comic timing.

Edgy yet wholesome. The warmhearted, consistently funny and thoroughly engaging Prime Video series “Clean Slate” manages to be both of these things.

While we wish Clean Slate was funnier and took a bit longer to have Harry accept that Desiree is now a woman, it feels like it’s going to be a warm show about rebuilding relationships and Southern small town life. Given the presence of Cox, Wallace and Hopkins, we’re on board for this one.

Amazon‘s Clean Slate is more of a fantasy of societal understanding than an issue-oriented comedy, very rarely producing laughs but very frequently generating reasonably earned warm-fuzzies.

The dialogue can feel pretty canned, like we’re waiting a beat for a laugh track, and there’s not much breathing room between zingers. That said, that sitcom feel might hit a nostalgic sweet spot for some viewers, and the actors do a lot with what they’re given, with each character coming off as warm, genuine, and lived-in. What’s more, each one serves a real purpose and has clearly drawn traits.

The series is heartfelt, well-acted and has beautiful representations of the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically trans people. However, the comedy overall is rather middling and doesn’t quite jump off the screen.

Clean Slate largely benefits from Cox's charisma. The actress also has incredible chemistry with her co-stars, particularly with the father-daughter duo played by Jay Wilkison and Norah Murphy. .... However, there are other aspects where the show falters more visibly, including its pacing and writing.

George Wallace plays the owner of a car wash in a small Alabama town. At the top of the first episode, his estranged child returns home after 17 years as a trans woman (Laverne Cox). It’s good to know that this was one of the last projects Executive Produced by comedy legend Norman Lear. Sure, there’s are echoes of his previous shows like “Sanford and Son” and “All in the Family.” The major difference is that almost everyone in the community welcomes her back without hesitation. There’s not the expected push back, except from one source (the pastor). Wallace provides the few jokes that land, which usually rise from his wise cracks. Cox manages to do OK without ever being funny. The cast is peppered with a few characters that are trying to add a quirky angle, but don’t really succeed. There is never any attempt to do anything wild or unpredictable in the story or situations. There are moments of amusement and plenty of social messaging, but the series is more about acceptance than generating laughs. (Eight 30-minute eps)