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
