‘Clean Slate’: Laverne Cox Leads a Delightful Sitcom About Identity and Acceptance 

Alci Rengifo

When classic formats are intelligently combined with contemporary moods the result can be a really good time. “Clean Slate” is one of Norman Lear’s final projects, and it’s breezy, corny and easy to laugh with. Like many memorable sitcoms, it’s all in the performances with Laverne Cox on top as a sharp, conflicted lead trying to mend broken bonds. Cox and co-star George Wallace are co-creators with Dan Ewen and their approach is simple. They are taking the basic format of a sitcom and using it to explore themes of identity, acceptance, trans culture and more in Black America. This kind of television always worked this way, adjusting to the times while exploring complex subjects with warmth.

Cox is Desiree Slate, a trans woman moving from New York back home to Mobile, Alabama. She has been gone for 23 years and is returning to see her father, Harry (Wallace), now that her job in the art world fell through. For Harry it is a shock because when he last saw his offspring, she was still identifying as Desmond. The boomer parent isn’t necessarily hostile. He’s actually receptive, except for the rough edges of getting pronouns right or understanding why Desiree felt so alone as a child. As the pair adjust to rebooting their relationship, Desiree gets to know those who orbit her father’s world. There’s Mack (Jay Wilkison), an ex-con who works at Harry’s car wash. Mack has a precocious grade-school daughter, Opal (Norah Murphy). It’s good to be part of a community even as Desiree struggles with her past and emerging matters of the heart.

For big TV watchers, there is nothing new in the style or structure of “Clean Slate.” Like FX’s “English Teacher,” the enjoyment is in watching Cox and team mold it to their aims. The writing never gets too edgy, even when Desiree argues with Harry over his outdated gay jokes. By not turning him into a full homophobe, this series explores the more grounded debates going on between generations. Wallace wonderfully plays the older man as a person who has been clueless to his daughter’s personal journey, influenced by a culture where coming out has rarely been easy. He’s not a monster at all and it’s heartwarming to see the two bond when finding items that belonged to Desiree’s mother or visiting old haunts. Desiree too can be at fault when trying to take control of certain situations, as when she organizes a yard sale with Opal and finds out they’ve sold a mug dear to Harry from the day he proposed. 

Much attention is going to the endearing work by Cox, who as a trans artist broke new ground with her role in “Orange Is the New Black.” Since then, she’s mostly done smaller roles in titles like “Promising Young Woman” and “Uglies.” Her range is quite on display in “Clean Slate,” going from slapstick to vulnerable. She can take over a crisis but clearly get scared when needing to open up. The supporting roles are a good boost as well. D. K. Uzoukwu is excellent as Desiree’s childhood friend Louis, who directs the church choir but remains in the closet. Ella (Telma Hopkins), Louis’ mother, is a great firecracker in the story as a rowdy neighbor. Jay Wilkison as Mack is given the cliché role of the emerging love interest who starts locking eyes with Desiree over their shared connection through watching over Opal. It’s absolutely predictable, yet the series can’t be dismissed for staying true to its format.

The individual plot lines that ensue are also easily recognizable from the universe of sitcoms. Opal has problems at school the adults band together to solve. The local preacher is clearly unnerved by Desiree, especially when she wants to be rebaptized as her true self (this leads to a fun musical number involving a car wash). The season finale has one of those cliffhangers with a surprise arrival. “Clean Slate” can be called formulaic but never boring or meaningless. With the current political and social climate, we need shows that defy hate or enclosed thinking even if they’re serving the lesson with such coziness. Why tell a brainless joke when you can tell a good one with thought? Cox and team entertain with heart and laughs that are vitally human.

“Clean Slate” season one begins streaming Feb. 6 on Prime Video.