'UnPrisoned' review: Kerry Washington, Delroy Lindo perfect together

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Anyone dreaming up an ideal tandem to headline a streaming series about a daughter and her estranged father would have a hard time coming up with a better duo than Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo.

So "UnPrisoned" set itself up for success before the cameras started rolling. Then, add into the mix a welcome understated approach from creator Tracy McMillan — the author, TV writer and relationship guru — to telling a story based on her own life.

The 10-episode, half-hour series follows Lindo's Edwin Alexander, as he gets released from prison and moves in with his therapist daughter Paige (Washington) and the teenage grandson Finn (Faly Rakotohavana) that he's never met.

MY SAY There are plenty of funny moments apparent in a viewing of the first three episodes of "UnPrisoned."

But McMillan and her cast avoid the approach that has torpedoed so many lesser shows made in this same general family dramedy terrain. Instead of simply barreling through the quieter moments in search of one comedic beat after another, the creator allows for them to unfold organically, to emanate from the characters rather than forced situations.

Even while generally structured as a glossy sitcom, with scene transitions marked by lavish Minneapolis establishing shots and plotlines that don't exactly scream excitement (grandpa teaches grandson how to drive, etc.), "UnPrisoned" resonates because McMillan lets the actors drive the storytelling.

That allows for Washington and Lindo to construct a genuinely compelling relationship, marked by a tumultuous history as well as a real sense of love and caring, and a desire for a fresh start.

In one sense, Washington's Paige is that classic trope of a therapist who constantly dishes out advice and perspective to others, but seems most in need of it herself. But this is too smart of an actor to fall into easy clichés.

Instead, Washington plays Paige with a sense of desperation: she wants to be a much better parent to her son than the example that was once set for her, but never seems to know quite how to do it. Her Paige is hurt and traumatized, very much still driven by her inner child. She compensates by looking for love in all the wrong places, as the song goes, but mostly she's just like the rest of us.

Edwin wants to do the right thing: He tries to reacclimate himself into the outside world and to be a meaningful presence for his family after so many years, but finds that repairing this broken road, particularly as an ex-convict, can be almost impossibly difficult.

Lindo knows how to capture the big personality that makes this man such a major new force in the lives of his daughter and grandson, while also presenting something fundamental about the vulnerability that comes with trying to right old wrongs and begin things again.

"UnPrisoned" once again illustrates one of the most basic of storytelling truths: find characters worth the commitment of sitting through an entire season of television, and the actors capable of making the most out of them, and you've already won.

BOTTOM LINE: Kerry Washington and Delroy Lindo are as good as you'd expect, if not better.