# Transparent (2014)

> A dysfunctional Los Angeles Jewish family unravels after the father comes out as a transgender woman, exposing decades of secrets.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54750

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 41
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Joey Soloway
- Network: Prime Video
- Cast: Jeffrey Tambor, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Landecker, Judith Light, Jay Duplass, Melora Hardin, Luzer Twersky, Emma Howard
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3502262/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: wry, intimate, candid, bittersweet, awkward, raw

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard the series as a positive, emotionally raw family drama whose strength lies in its performances and its frank, humane handling of gender identity and family secrets.

## Synopsis

Transparent (2014-2019) is an American comedy drama series created by Joey Soloway for Prime Video. Jeffrey Tambor plays Maura Pfefferman, a retired professor who comes out as a trans woman to her three adult children, played by Gaby Hoffmann as Ali, Amy Landecker as Sarah, and Jay Duplass as Josh. Judith Light plays their ex-wife Shelly, whose own reckonings drive much of the household drama. The engine of the show is the slow collapse of a family's comfortable denial: each episode peels back another buried history, another romance or affair, and another attempt by siblings and parents to repair what has been broken. Across five seasons the stories move between Los Angeles homes, bedrooms, and Jewish community gatherings, with flashbacks reaching back into the family's past. Tone shifts between wry comedy and raw, intimate heartbreak, with an unvarnished, observational camera that lingers on awkward silences. Frank conversations about gender, sexuality, aging, and identity give the series a candid, character-driven warmth. Fans of Six Feet Under, Girls, and Fleabag will find resonance in its mix of humor, family dysfunction, and emotional honesty. Its mature content and bold storytelling make it a standout of the streaming era.

## Shows like Transparent

- [Parenthood (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/20053)
- [Everything's Gonna Be Okay (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/77902)
- [SMILF (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62604)
- [Nobody Wants This (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/166158)
- [No Good Deed (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157505)
- [Please Like Me (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/54705)
- [Six Feet Under (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/1194)
- [The Real O'Neals (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/55847)
- [Better Things (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58877)
- [The Big C (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/29823)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt