Good Trouble - Seasons 1-3

“If the writers can tamp down the earnestness, Good Trouble’s inclusive themes will make even more of an impact.”

Title: Good Trouble
Episodes Reviewed: Seasons 1-3
Creator: Bradley Bradeweg 👨🏼🇺🇸🌈, Joanna Johnson 👩🏼🇺🇸🌈, and Peter Paige 👨🏼🇺🇸🌈
Writers: Joanna Johnson 👩🏼🇺🇸🌈 (11 eps) and various (11 ♀ and 12 ♂)

Reviewed by Anni 👩🏼🇺🇸🌈

Technical: 3.5/5

Good Trouble wastes no time making its aims clear. Titled after John Lewis’ famous instructions (“get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America”), the show is unapologetically progressive. From its very first episode, which finds main character Callie Adams-Foster (Maia Mitchell) clerking for a conservative judge in hopes of pulling him to the left, the writers fearlessly tackle hot topics. A spin-off of the family-centric drama The Fosters (2013-2018), Freeform’s Good Trouble follows adoptive sisters Callie and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) post-college as they settle into their new lives in Downtown LA.

Though Callie and Mariana take center stage as the main protagonists, the show features a diverse ensemble of twenty-somethings living at the Coterie, an old theater turned “intentional living community.” Each of the Coterie residents get standalone plot arcs throughout each season, making the series feel like just as much of a family show as its predecessor. Its characters fumble their way through thorny issues from embracing queerness as a child of immigrants to balancing activism and mental health to salary transparency. The wide range of identities and issues the show explores is simultaneously its greatest strength and what sometimes brings it uncomfortably close to becoming a cheesy after-school special. At times, the writers are so eager to get these storylines right that they forget to allow their characters some levity and lightness.

Gender: 5/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Good Trouble easily outshines its contemporaries when it comes to gender representation. Callie and Mariana’s sibling/friend relationship forms the backbone for the entire show thanks in large part to the spitfire chemistry between Mitchell and Ramirez. The writers shine too, as they strike a perfect balance of the head-butting love, irritation, and care that comes with deep closeness.

The women-centric cast faces relevant issues like sexism in tech, body shaming, and navigating polyamory. Refreshingly sex-positive given its roots in family drama, the show also features multiple nonbinary characters. Though the writing around they/them pronouns sounds a bit stilted and clumsy at times, their inclusion (and the addition of nonbinary comedian Rhea Butcher to the roster) earns the series full marks on gender.

Race: 4/5

Drop into any apartment building in DTLA and you’ll likely find an incredibly diverse group of residents. The Coterie reflects this well. With Callie and Mariana’s community filled with people from all different backgrounds, no single character is ever used as a token.

This strong surface-level representation is deepened by the showrunners’ commitment to bringing in writers and consultants who belong to the communities being featured. For example, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors consulted on Season 1 and then joined the writers’ room when Malika (Zuri Adele) becomes more deeply involved in anti-racism work. The scripts ensure Malika gets plenty of moments of joy and celebration in addition to her more serious scenes. But even with people of color in the room, the senior showrunners skew heavily white. Given the diverse racial makeup of the show’s characters and the frequency with which racial plotlines are addressed, it would be nice to see this ratio evened out.

Unfortunately, its white characters—especially Davia (Emma Hunton)—are at times negligent and damaging in their interactions with Black people. Though often used as a “learning moment”, these scenes feel geared towards a white audience. Given the white showrunners and how many recurring writers are white, this distracts from the many ways Good Trouble handles race well.

LGBTQ: 4.5/5

The Fosters revolved around a lesbian couple, so it’s no surprise its spin-off handles LGBTQ representation well. Johnson and her co-creators Bradley Bradeweg and Peter Paige are all openly gay, as are many of the show’s other writers. It’s wonderful to see this off-screen diversity lend itself to queer story arcs that go beyond strife.

Though Coterie community manager Alice (played by queer stand-up comic Sherry Cola) initially struggles with coming out to her family—a familiar arc that often feels like the only plotline given to gay characters—later storylines explore her love life with depth and nuance. Underrepresented LGBTQ groups like bisexual men are also featured in important roles: Gael (Tommy Martinez), one of Callie’s love interests and fellow loft resident, openly dates men and is never dragged into stereotypes or subjected to bi-erasure.

However, I’d like to see Callie’s potential queerness, which was briefly introduced in The Fosters, explored in coming episodes. The shift from centering queer characters as protagonists to relegating them to ensemble roles is the sole reason the show doesn’t manage a perfect score.

Mediaversity Grade: B+ 4.25/5

Good Trouble thrives in its handling of strong relationships, especially the relationship between Callie and Mariana. If the writers can tamp down the earnestness and add in some levity, the series will grow into its own and its inclusive themes will make even more of an impact.

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Grade: BLiJuly 18, 2021Great for: Gender, Female/Nonbinary Creator