The Fosters, Freeform’s drama about a two-mom couple and their five kids, ended last June—but with the premiere of Good Trouble on January 8, two of those kids, now grown, have their own chance to shine (although the first scene proves that their moms clearly didn’t teach them everything about U-Hauls).
Good Trouble picks up five years after the end of The Fosters, with Lena and Stef’s daughters Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) and Callie (Maia Mitchell), starting new endeavors in Los Angeles. Mariana has just graduated from MIT and is beginning work at a tech startup; Callie is a newly minted lawyer with a clerkship. They navigate their sometimes prickly relationship with each other, their sketchy communal living space, unpleasant co-workers, romantic interests, and other travails of young adulthood.
Out creators and showrunners Joanna Johnson (also a mom), Peter Paige, and Bradley Bredeweg bring the same commitment to inclusion and social justice that were hallmarks of the earlier show. In the first episode, directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), we find out that one ongoing character, building manager Alice Kwan (played by bisexual actor Sherry Cola), is a lesbian and another is bi or pansexual. (I want to say more about the bi/pan character, but am afraid of spoilers, so I’ll hold off on that for now.) In addition to Mariana, who is Latina, there are numerous ongoing characters of color. Callie and Mariana’s housemate Malika (Zuri Adele) is Black; both Alice and Benjamin (Ken Kirby), one of Callie’s coworkers, are of Asian descent, and one of Mariana’s co-workers is of Southeast Asian heritage. Social justice rears its head, too, as Callie tries to make a difference as a progressive clerk for a more conservative judge and Mariana tackles sexism and sexual harassment in a male-dominated workplace.
Their moms don’t appear in the first episode, but are referred to; Johnson has, however, promised that they are in two episodes this season. Their gay brother Jude (Hayden Byerly) is set to guest star in the second episode, airing January 15.
Despite the sometimes serious topics, the show doesn’t forget to have fun. Callie and Mariana have sisterly good times, but also sometimes get under each others’ skin to hilarious effect. Ramirez and Mitchell have honed that relationship over many years now, and it shows. Cola brings a dry comedic flair that I hope continues.
While I will always miss The Fosters, I understand that at some point, kids grow up. I’m looking forward to seeing what life brings to Callie and Mariana as they find their places in the world. Somehow, I think their moms prepared them well (except for that U-Haul thing).
Watch a clip below, and then catch Good Trouble on Freeform on January 8 at 8 p.m. ET, or see the first episode now via Freeform.com or Hulu.