Quibbles aside, UnPrisoned is the type of show that's still a rarity on TV: An intimate, heartfelt comedy about one family's piece of the Black experience.

On the Hulu sitcom “UnPrisoned,” Washington’s back to the angle that suits her best — and at the heart of a sweetly intended show of disarming quality.

“UnPrisoned” achieves what few shows do—showing both the importance and limitations of personal agency. Oh, and it’s funny too.

The series has a terrific snap to it, with an ear attuned to banter that touches on — and sometimes deflects — deeper issues. The combination works because it’s not glib, but a coping mechanism for both. ... The real revelation here is Washington, who is looser than ever.

UnPrisoned feels at times like a series made of up of wrong choices on the way to finding the right one. But even in its flaws — or maybe because of them — the series finds intriguing depth in the messiness of lived experience, and the clear-eyed compassion of someone who’s worked through enough of it to grasp the difference between what people owe one another and what we want to provide for one another, between excusing someone’s bad behavior and forgiving it, between being right and being free.

UnPrisoned is engaging as is, but it has the potential to be much more in Lindo’s talented hands wherever it is the series goes next.

Despite Washington and Lindo’s undeniable chemistry, the dynamic between Paige and Edwin is unfortunately where the show fails to keep you engaged. UnPrisoned was clearly designed as a light-hearted sitcom and manages to deliver on most of its laughs—primarily, thanks to Lindo and Brenda Strong, who plays his girlfriend, Nadine. However, it struggles to find a balance between its gags and the weighty issues bubbling at the surface.