Stream It Or Skip It: ‘UnPrisoned’ On Hulu, Where Kerry Washington Plays A Single Mom Dealing With Her Dad After He’s Released From Prison

UnPrisioned is the latest series from the Onyx Collective, a Disney content brand that develops shows from people of color and other underrepresented groups. It’s got some big names behind it, from stars Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo to veteran writer Yvette Lee Bowser. But it’s a very personal story from its creator, Tracy McMillan. Read on for more…

UNPRISONED: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A phone view that shows the phone being propped up, then a woman checks her lipstick before she goes live for a video that talks about “repetition compulsion.”

The Gist: Paige Alexander (Kerry Washington) is a family therapist in suburban Minneapolis who builds up a social media following via live videos like this. She lives in a tiny house with her teenage son Finn (Faly Rakotohavana). As she gets him off his video games and ready for school, she passes him the bad news that her latest bid on a house didn’t win. He mentions that today is the day her father Edwin (Delroy Lindo), the grandfather he never met, is getting out of prison today.

At the transitional housing facility where Edwin is being released from, she tells Mal (Marque Richardson), his parole officer, that it would be a disaster if he lived with her, even though Mal thinks it’s the best thing for him. For his part, Edwin insists that he’s not going back to prison; Paige scoffs at that because he’s said that right before going back inside about a half dozen times, the last of which was before he went in for his last stint in 2005.

Paige takes Edwin to a Target-style store to get clothes and some supplies, and he right away finds a woman to ply with his charms. Paige puts this little bit of trauma on her live feed, then warns the woman that Edwin doesn’t even have a cell phone.

The next stop is at the house of his ex, Nadine (Brenda Strong). Nadine was more or less Paige’s stepmother, but Paige wants nothing to do with her after Edwin left her to be raised by Nadine during one of his prison stints 30 years ago. Of course, the feelings between the two of them never went away, and Paige walks into the house to the horrifying sounds of her father and Nadine having sex, which brings her right back to her ten-year-old self (Jordyn McIntosh).

For his part, Edwin wants Paige to be with someone she deserves, not a constant parade of rich white guys like her current beau Bill (Tim Daly), whose idea of being supportive is to get reservations at an exclusive restaurant.

Edwin meets Finn, way earlier than Paige intended, when Finn cuts class and comes home early. In the meantime, Paige is able to secure a contract on a house being sold by Esti Nelson (Jee Young Han), with whom she bonded when Esti’s parents were fostering Paige during another one of Edwin’s prison stints.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? UnPrisoned is a combination of Insecure and a “going home again” kind of story like we saw in Somebody Somewhere.

Our Take: UnPrisoned was created by Tracy McMillan based on her own experiences with her dad (Washington, Lindo and Yvette Lee Bowser are also among the executive producers). While it’s well-written and gives off a vibe that’s laid back but stressful at the same time, it definitely comes alive due to the charms of both Washington and Lindo.

Washington’s comedic abilities, always there during her long career but somewhat obscured by her significant dramatic chops, are at the forefront here. She definitely communicates Paige’s checkered family history, but in a way that shows that she has channeled a lot of the hurt she’s encountered into making her life go differently than her father’s. Still, when there’s rage to be had, when she goes back to the kid version of herself, Washington makes that transition seamless and just a part of a character who seems like she has her shit together but doesn’t.

Lindo, of course, is as smooth as silk in every role he does. He seems to be getting better with age, and the role of Edwin fits that smoothness well. We’re not sure if his and Washington’s professional paths crossed at some point, but the chemistry between them sure makes it look like they’ve played off each other before.

The first episode only scratches the surface of the history between Paige and Edwin, and how difficult it is for her to let him fully back in her life when she’s pretty sure that he’ll do something stupid and get sent back to prison. It’s why she’s so cautious with him meeting Finn, for instance. But there’s also a rich history of various stepparents like Nadine and foster parents like the Nelsons; it feels like Edwin’s presence will force Paige to reexamine all of that history, which should be fodder for a lot of character-based humor.

Sex and Skin: Nadine stumbles downstairs after being en fuego with Edwin, her robe open for the world to see everything. Never thought this was how we were going to see Brenda Strong naked, but there it is.

Parting Shot: After reconsidering living with his friend Fox (Edwin Lee Gibson), Edwin knocks on Paige’s door and asks if he can move in.

Sleeper Star: Faly Rakotohavana’s Finn is going to be the wild card here. He seems to be pretty close to his mother Paige, but is eager to learn from the grandfather he never knew. How that will change him will be fun to watch.

Most Pilot-y Line: Edwin, who has never owned a smartphone in his life, wonders why Nadine is texting him a peach and an eggplant emoji. We guess you don’t learn about that stuff in federal lockup.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Winning performances by Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo make UnPrisioned a fun show to follow, despite the heavy intergenerational subject matter that’s explored on the show.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.