Unprisoned

I'll admit at the beginning you get a whole bunch of characters who have a lot of flaws, that might feel annoying. But keep watching! By the end of the show you really get a chance to watch these people grow.

These people make a lot of mistakes that many of us do in the real world but the show does a great job of showing the behavior without encouraging it. Even exemplifies the harm of dare I say, "too much therapy," or overthinking to the point you self sabotage.

It's more than just a comedy. It has a lot of heart in touches on the inter-generational trauma that Black Americans go through on a daily basis. Once you've entered the cycle of the system, how do you get out?

Also the performances, are amazing!

We don't often get shows like this.

I'd say the casting department did their job well.

Kerry Washington has a good relationship and legacy with ABC, and it's nice that she gets a starring vehicle that lets her feature her comedy skills. I don't know if this will be limited to the 1 series of 8 half hour episodes, but hopefully we'll get more.

The show is Delroy Lindo's show. He's been a working actor for years who is respected in the industry. He's been in several films that are part of culture. Washington is the lead, but this is Lindo's show.

He's playing a man I see on a daily basis in the community I'm in, but not on screen. The character is complex, and you know Lindo has worked him out for us from how he is on screen. A complex character that is approachable.

This show is based on heavy topics. Daddy issues, release from prison, being black in Minnesota, revisiting relationships, the housing market in America, and how technology changes culture.

The overall tone of the show is lite, and at times cartoonish. It IS a sitcom, in 8 half hour segments that goes into those topics. How it is able to do that is the cast. The last few episodes get a bit heavier, but retain most of the positive tone about life.

We know it is based on a true story. Sometimes trauma includes laughs. It is how we live. The supporting cast, is there for the leads. In many ways they provide the drama to the show, and it is a nice mix.

By the supporting cast providing the drama, we get to enjoy watching how the two leads work through their flaws, with humor.

The shortcomings with the show are in someways related to the sitcom nature. Story lines just end. That is how life is sometimes. Problems just resolve themselves because there isn't anything else you can do with it.

I like the show. It will be nice to see more shows like this in production, and I hope the numbers support that decision for Hulu.

Like most, I tuned in to watch because of the caliber of leading actors including Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo. I so wanted to like this, but after binge watching all episodes, I was left wondering what the point of it all was. Unfortunately, the storytelling does not live up to the hype. The main character is a middle aged, social media obsessed therapist who like many in her profession, has a wreck of a personal life of her own. Kerry Washington is a really good actress with the right content. In this show, she comes across as a very childish graying woman who can't figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Of course, the storyline tells us that's because she was in foster care and her father was in the criminal justice system. Those things can be true. But one must wonder if the character learned anything about herself while she was studying to become a therapist. The storylines are messy, including one around her love life. While the show makes light of her dating her father's parole officer, there's nothing advisable about that. It's predatory no matter how handsome he is. In the real world, that situation could be easily, and dangerously manipulated or even weaponized by the parole officer against her father in the event things didn't work out. There are also some interesting messages about the criminal justice system, indeed, sometimes they are literally post-its on screen. There's no doubt that this show was written with a particular message that it wanted to share. It's unfortunate that there wasn't a better caliber of storytelling to make us really care about that story and who these characters were as people. I left indifferent. One thing in particular that truly bothered me was her inner child, played by a very young black female actress. It was offensive to have that little girl cursing that way. NOT cute or funny. The same story could have been told without this child being the most profane on the show. I missed the "comedy" in this one. If there's a season 2, hopefully someone else will write it and helm it.

A totally unique show deserves to stay on the air! I'm so bummed to learn Hulu canceled this gem, and with THAT cliffhanger??! Hulu, do you hate us?!

The two seasons are still worth the watch. First season may start slow but it sure picks up steam. The second season is even better. I love the way the show was about facing and healing past traumas without being a constant train wreck.

My wife and I will miss this family. And I hate not knowing how that final storyline plays out. I guess we will just have to focus on the way they ended the other storylines. I'm glad those were positive.

Someone convince Netflix to pick this show up!

I have just started this one but I already have a question- I realize the chance might be slim- but did anyone else notice the house where her dad's ex lives is the same place where Kerry Washington's 'Scandal' dad lived?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Delroy and will pretty much watch anything he is in. I was not a big fan of 'Scandal' but ended up watching every season thru repeats. Got hooked obviously. So I do like Kerry too.

As others have mentioned, the first thing I did notice was that once again Kerry is playing a character that refers Caucasian men. At this point seeing her with a Black man would seem almost weird I think. But then again- The Heart Wants What The Heart Wants. Does not matter to me one way or the other.

Also I so wish this site would allow you to post a comment without requiring it to be the length of a short story!