TV Series Review: Clean Slate Starring Laverne Cox & George Wallace

Clean Slate - Official Trailer | Prime Video

Amazon Prime just released their new tv series, Clean Slate starring Orange is The New Black trans actress Laverne Cox as Desiree and the legendary comedian and actor George Wallace who plays her father, a car wash business owner, Harry. Clean Slate was inspired by the 1972 sitcom Sanford & Son which ran for 7 seasons on NBC adapted by screenwriter Norman Lear who died in December of 2023. In view of hit tv series and films rebooting, Wallace approached Lear with the idea of rebooting the hit 1970’s series with a new spin on it.

Photo Credit: Deadline (Laverne Cox, George Wallace & Norman Lear).

Cox plays the long lost child of Wallace who left their Alabama home 25 years prior as a man and returns from New York City as a woman. The pair agree to live together in an effort to get to know one another and bond. The cast is rounded out by singer and actress Telma Hopkins who rose to fame in the pop group Tony Orlando & Dawn who offers a motherly influence to Cox’s character along with her closeted son played by actor D.K Uzoukwu playing Desiree’s best friend, Phillip Garcia, composer and actor Jay Wilkison, Norah Murphy and Keith Arthur Bolden known for his roles in LoveCraft Country, Greenleaf, Cobra Kai and Black Lightning.

Photo Credit: Deadline (D.K. Uzoukwu, Telma Hopkins, Jay Wilkison & Norah Murphy).

The series is good, but feels like something new in an old series. The acting by Wallace and Hopkins shows decades of discipline and skill whilst Cox’s comedic timing, at times, feels forced and uncomfortable for the usually dramatic actress. Wilkison makes for a good love interest to Cox’s character Desiree, but the breakout star here would be Norah Murphy who plays the daughter to Wilkison’s character Mack. The storyline is good, but falls generic with D.K. Uzoukwu’s character- Louis who is clearly gay but closeted to his mother and church community.

The series is definitely needed in the U.S.’s political climate where LGBT rights are being rolled back and trans people are being villainized. This series we hope will bring laughter and understanding. I can guarantee that if this series is picked up for more seasons it will find it’s footing by season three.