The Cleaning Lady

Thony De La Rosa arrives in the United States as a trained physician desperate to secure a medical treatment that could save her young son, Luca. When red tape, immigration hurdles, and a failing system strip away her options, she slips out of official channels to protect her child. Taking a job cleaning for organized crime gives her cover and access to resources she otherwise couldn't reach. The series tracks how Thony balances motherhood with a life lived in the shadows, the choices she makes to keep Luca safe, and how ordinary moral rules bend when survival is on the line, all while the threat of exposure and legal consequences looms close.

Created by Miranda Kwok, the series premiered in 2022 and stars Élodie Yung as Thony De La Rosa. It was developed for U.S. television and blends serialized family drama with procedural crime elements, showcasing a lead role rarely seen in prime-time crime shows.

Audience response leans positive, with an average user score around 7.44 out of 10 from over 200 votes, reflecting steady viewer engagement. Critics and fans often point to the show’s focus on motherhood, immigration, access to healthcare, and the moral gray areas people enter when systems fail them, all framed within tense crime-story beats.

The show has prompted conversation about immigrant experiences and the real-world gaps in healthcare access, especially for undocumented families. Thony’s role as a non-American mother leading a crime drama sparked online discussion and fan interest, and the series has been part of broader social-media debates about representation and ethical complexity in television.

It hasn’t been a major awards contender at headline ceremonies like the Emmys or Golden Globes, but the series did raise the profiles of its lead actress and creator within industry circles. Even without big trophies, it contributed to career momentum for key cast and writers and kept industry attention on stories centered on immigrant parents in high-stakes settings.