Prior to his December 2023 death, veteran TV comedy producer Norman Lear signed on to executive produce a series that fits his oeuvre of pro-social, anti-prejudice comedies, from “All in the Family” to “Maude” to both iterations of “One Day at a Time.”
“Clean Slate,” now streaming eight episodes on Amazon Prime Video, fits Lear’s worldview even though it was created by Dan Ewen (“Dear Santa”) with a pilot episode story by Ewen and “Clean Slate” stars Laverne Cox (“Orange Is the New Black”) and George Wallace, a stand-up comedian.
Cox, a trans woman, stars as Desiree, who comes home after 23 years away to see her car-wash owner father, Harry (Wallace), who last knew Desiree as his son, Desmond. Comedic chaos ensues as Harry fumbles over his child’s name and pronouns. Harry is not hateful, just caught off guard and uninformed about trans life.
“You know you could have given me a heads-up about this,” Harry gripes.
“It seems like an awkward thing to try to put in an email,” Desiree replies.
“More awkward than this?” Harry says.
“Good point,” Desiree responds.
When a frustrated Harry later learns Desiree is also a vegetarian, he quips, “You know you could have put that in your email!”
“Clean Slate” builds a world around Desiree and Harry that includes Desiree’s gay-but-closeted childhood friend-turned-church choir director (D.K. Uzoukwu) and his mom, played by winning sitcom vet Telma Hopkins (“Gimme a Break”). There’s also Harry’s nemesis neighbor Miguel (Philip Garcia, filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Sprung”) and Harry’s car-wash employee, Mac (Jay Wilkison, “Younger”), a potential love interest for Desiree.
Early episodes are amusing and the core cast gives hope that “Clean Slate,” which has a “Schitt’s Creek” tonal vibe, can find a rhythm of sustained comedy that moves beyond the show’s potentially one-note premise.
In a Zoom interview last week, Cox explained “Clean Slate” began life when Wallace proposed a “Sanford & Son” remake. Lear suggested a new take. Ewen, who’s worked with Wallace before, suggested “Sanford & Daughter.” From there it evolved into the notion that the daughter is trans.
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Cox, who is from Mobile, Ala., liked the idea of setting “Clean Slate” in her hometown, and she immediately knew the church would play a role in the show’s plot.
“There are stories from my life going back to Alabama that I thought would be really funny that are included in the show — I won’t tell you which ones,” Cox teased.
“Clean Slate” filmed in Savannah, Ga., from March to June 2023, prior to Lear’s death.
“He was not in the best of health when we were filming, but he saw every daily and he gave notes,” Cox said. “I love Norman, but whenever I got a note from Norman, I felt deflated, like I couldn’t act and that I wasn’t funny. But it was always a loving critique, and he was always right. He’s a legend, so I listened.”
When Cox filmed “Clean Slate,” she had no way of knowing it would premiere in the first month of a second Trump administration that deleted trans references from dozens of government websites and plans to remove trans troops from the U.S. military.
Cox said “Clean Slate” offers a humanizing portrait of trans people.
“It’s a show about a family that feels like, dare I say, a warm hug, that shows a father’s unconditional love for his daughter even as they struggle,” Cox said.
And “Clean Slate” is fun; it’s not eat-your-veggies TV.
“That’s in the tradition of Norman Lear,” Cox said. “When you understand the legacy of his work, there was never a finger wag. There were many lessons, many politically controversial issues that were addressed. But there was always humor. There was always a light touch, a way to laugh at the catastrophic, at the ridiculous. And often it is ridiculous when there’s discrimination, bigotry, and the ridiculousness is often hilarious.
“The unfortunate thing about our current president is that … even with his agenda, unfortunately, he’s hilarious. He’s incredibly entertaining,” Cox continued, comparing our current moment to a future predicted in Neil Postman’s 1985 book “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” “We are there. If it’s entertaining, then we’ll go for it, even to our detriment.”
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Kept/canceled/rebooted
“Married at First Sight” relocates from cable’s Lifetime to streaming service Peacock for its 19th season later this year.
Syndicated daytime shows “Dish Nation,” “Person, Place or Thing” and “Pictionary” will not return for the 2025-26 TV season.
Netflix canceled “The Sandman;”its second and final season will stream later this year.
TNT canceled “The Cube” and its “Wipeout” reboot; Peacock canceled “Hysteria!”
Hulu canceled “How to Die Alone” after one season.
Netflix ordered a “Little House of the Prairie” reboot to series with Rebecca Sonnenshine, showrunner of Netflix’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Archive 81,” as showrunner for what the streamer describes as a fresh adaptation that’s “part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West.”
Variety reports Hulu is near a deal for a pilot order of a potential “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” sequel series with star Sarah Michelle Gellar returning.
Channel surfing
The series finale of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” debuts Feb. 13. … HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” returns for its 12th season at 11 p.m. Feb. 16. … AE’s new slate of WWE programs kicks off Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. with new competition series “WWE LFG,” the return of “WWE Rivals” at 9:30 p.m. and the debut of clip show “WWE’s Greatest Moments” at 10:30 p.m. … WWE seems to be taking a page from the NFL, creating too much supply (which can hurt demand), with the 8 p.m. March 5 launch of another competition show, “WWE Evolve.” … NBC News political reporter Chuck Todd exited the network last week after almost two decades. … Amazon’s Prime Video now offers a Starz and BET streaming bundle for $16 per month. … Heidi Klum exited “America’s Got Talent” for its upcoming 20th season (8 p.m. May 27) with former judge Mel B. returning. … Fox Corp. says it will launch a news-and-sports-focused streaming service by late this year.