'Good Trouble' Review

Good Trouble is a TV dramedy on Freeform that is a spin off of the critically acclaimed show The Fosters. In the show, sisters Callie (played by Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (played by Cierra Ramirez) move to Los Angeles to start their lives after college. Maia Mitchell and Ciera Ramirez are actually executive producers of the show, and best friends in real life. Callie is an aspiring lawyer while Mariana dreams of being an engineer. The first season of the show was released in the beginning of this year and this past week, they just released the last episode of their second season. Both seasons can be streamed on Hulu, and there are a total of 25 episodes. The show has yet to be renewed for a third season, but I would certainly count on it.

What I love about the series is the inclusivity and diversity within the characters ,from plus size Davia (played by Emma Hunton) to black lives matter activist Malika (played by Zuri Adele). The show mostly takes place in a coterie, where the characters all live in a communal environment. I love shows like these because each character has their own story that ties in with the plot. The show doesn't steer away from the rawness of living straight out of college, and doesn't over-glamorize Callie and Mariana's experience. In the first episode, the girls don't even have clothes or furniture because someone robbed their U-Haul. They also are a bit shocked when they get to the coterie and realize that communal living is actually a real thing and they do have to share a bathroom.

The show can almost be characterized as a coming of age story, even though the characters are over 20. Each character is struggling with their identities, for example Gael (played by Tommy Martines,) is a bisexual artist and has to find the confidence to come out to his parents during the season. This confrontation brings up the subject of bi-phobia and the double standards bisexual and members of the LGBTQ community still face today. Another character that struggles with coming out to their family is Alice (played by Sherry Cola), who is the manager of the coterie and an aspiring comedian. She is also a lesbian, but her parents would like to think otherwise. This is one of the many deep topics the show touches on alongside police brutality, body dysphoria, suicide/depression, and sexual assault. Tackling these topics, it’s apparent that the writers and creators did a lot of research on the topics they were shooting. Maia Mitchell mentioned she also had to do some research for her role in an interview on BUILD Series.

The show has a great mixture of funny moments, tear-jerking scenes, and steaming sex scenes. It shares the same emotional family elements that The Fosters did, just in a more mature way where the characters are sometimes under the sheets. Most of these scenes are between Callie and Gael who jump into a hot relationship, but eventually end up with different partners (sorry for the spoiler.)

In my opinion, this show should be served as a model for future TV shows in terms of representation in the cast. It's not forced or representation for the sake of representation, which in this day and age, we see a lot of in television. Not only are various ethnicities represented, but the diverse environment of Los Angeles is represented. For this, I admire the show and the casting director. When watching the show, everyone can look at the screen and see someone who looks like them without there being any stereotypes. Overall, this is a great show and I'm waiting for a third season. I recommend Good Trouble to teenagers who are looking to laugh and cringe with their mothers.