‘UnPrisoned’ Proves the Power of Kerry Washington’s Charisma

Netflix’s Emmy-winning hit series Orange Is The New Black proved the limits of depicting the brutality of incarcerated life on-screen. Initially nuanced and compelling in its first three seasons, the show eventually descended into trauma-porn territory. By Season 3, the show had lost all of its laughs. (Legitimately, as it started competing in the Emmys as a drama). And the writers began integrating ripped-from-the-headlines storylines that were portrayed in a less than sensitive manner. (RIP Poussey!)

Almost four years out from OITNB’s final episode, a new Hulu series called UnPrisoned feels like a refreshing antidote to what that Netflix series ultimately became. The half-hour sitcom, a part of Hulu’s Onyx Collective, is more comparable to OITNB’s final season that saw Piper Chapman finally released from prison and struggling to adapt to her old life. UnPrisoned is ultimately more concerned with emotional violence caused by the criminal justice system and rifts it can create in families, a topic that deserves as much light as the more lurid aspects.

Created by Tracy McMillan—whose life the series is based on—Unprisoned follows the uneasy relationship between a high-strung therapist named Paige Alexander, played by Kerry Washington who also executive produces, and her wise-cracking father Edwin (Delroy Lindo), who’s just been released from a 17-year prison sentence.

Read more at The Daily Beast.