Clean Slate (TV series)
| Clean Slate | |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
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| Producer | Paul Hilepo |
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| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
Clean Slate is an upcoming American sitcom co-created by and starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace. The series will premiere on Prime Video on February 6, 2025.
Synopsis
[edit]The series follows Desiree (Cox), who’s returning to her small town in Alabama to reunite with her father Harry (Wallace) after 23 years away. Harry is excited to reunite with his son, and he has no idea that son is now Desiree—a proud trans woman."[1]
Cast
[edit]- Laverne Cox as Desiree, a trans woman reuniting with her father, Harry, in her small Alabama hometown after 23 years away
- George Wallace as Harry Slate, a car wash owner and Desiree's father
- Jay Wilkison as Mack, one of Harry's employees
- Norah Murphy as Opal, Mack's daughter
- D.K. Uzoukwu as Louis, Desiree's childhood best friend and the church choir director
- Telma Hopkins as Ella, Louis's mother
- Phillip Garcia as Miguel, Harry's neighbor[2]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]The series was originally announced by Peacock in January 2020 with Laverne Cox and George Wallace starring in leading roles.[3] Cox and Wallace are the creators and executive producers of the series with Dan Ewen. Ewen serves as a showrunner of the series with executive producer Simran Baidwan. Norman Lear executive produced via his Act III Productions, along with Brent Miller. It was one of the last series produced by Norman Lear prior to his death in 2023. Paul Hilepo is a producer of the series. Nisha Ganatra directed the series pilot.[4][1] In February 2021, the series moved to IMDB TV (now known as Amazon Freevee).[5] In September 2022, Amazon Freevee gave the series order.[6] In March 2023, it was announced that D.K. Uzoukwu, Telma Hopkins, Jay Wilkison & Norah Murphy joined the cast as series regulars alongise Cox and Wallace.[7] On December 2024, the series was announced to be moving from Amazon Freevee to Amazon Prime Video.[8]
Filming
[edit]The series was filmed largely in Georgia.[2]
Release
[edit]The series premieres February 6, 2025 on Prime Video.[9]
Reception
[edit]In a positive review, Barry Levitt wrote in The Daily Beast, "Clean Slate wisely challenges common conceptions of the American South...This Alabama town is filled with people who love Jesus, of course, but they also love family and everything in between. Not everyone in town is eager to embrace Desiree, but the vast majority of locals welcome her like she’s their own daughter."[1] After noting the cultural relevance of a show about trans people "debuting at a moment when the current presidential administration is aggressively stripping trans people of their rights,"[9] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone described the show as "content to be a simple, relatively old-fashioned family and friends comedy. But centering a sitcom like that around a trans character feels like an act of bold political protest, even if nobody meant it that way."[9] Michele Theil wrote for PinkNews that Laverne Cox is Clean Slate's "shining star."[10]
In a less positive review, Daniel Feinberg described the series in The Hollywood Reporter as "more of a fantasy of societal understanding than an issue-oriented comedy, very rarely producing laughs but very frequently generating reasonably earned warm-fuzzies."[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Levitt, Barry (2025-02-05). "Norman Lear and Laverne Cox's New Sitcom: Surprise, Dad, I'm Trans!". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ^ a b c Fienberg, Daniel (2025-02-05). "'Clean Slate' Review: Laverne Cox and George Wallace Lead Amazon's Warm, Well-Meaning, Not Especially Funny Comedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 16, 2020). "'MacGruber' Starring Will Forte, 'Clean Slate' Starring Laverne Cox, Series From Amy Poehler & Mindy Kaling On Peacock's Development Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ Petski, Denise (January 16, 2025). "Clean Slate' Trailer: Laverne Cox Goes Back Home In Late Norman Lear's Prime Video Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ White, Peter (February 22, 2021). "Norman Lear Sets Two Projects At IMDb TV Including Laverne Cox & George Wallace Comedy 'Clean Slate'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 6, 2022). "Laverne Cox & George Wallace Comedy 'Clean Slate' Produced By Norman Lear Gets Amazon Freevee Series Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 24, 2023). "Freevee's 'Clean Slate' Adds D.K. Uzoukwu, Telma Hopkins, Jay Wilkison & Norah Murphy As Series Regulars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ Boucher, Ashley (December 18, 2024). "Get a first look at Laverne Cox's new comedy series Clean Slate — and learn how it honors Norman Lear (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
- ^ a b c Sepinwall, Alan (2025-02-05). "'Clean Slate': A Trans Character Walks Into the Deep South..." Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ Theil, Michele (2025-02-03). "This new comedy series starring Laverne Cox offers a much-needed dose of trans joy". PinkNews. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
External links
[edit]- Clean Slate at IMDb