Black-ish
Black-ish | |
---|---|
File:Black-ish intertitle.png | |
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | Kenya Barris |
Starring |
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Narrated by | Anthony Anderson |
Theme music composer | Transcenders |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 62 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 24, 2014 present | –
Black-ish (stylized as blackish) is an American sitcom starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross broadcast on ABC.[1][2] The single-camera comedy centers on an upper-middle-class African-American family.[3] The series premiered on September 24, 2014.[4][5][6] On March 3, 2016, the show was renewed for a third season, which premiered on September 21, 2016.[7] Since the second season premiere, the show has received critical acclaim, receiving many awards and nominations including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for Tracee Ellis Ross, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and a TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson Sr., an advertising executive who tries to pass on some of his urban culture to his seemingly uninterested children. His alma mater is Howard University.
- Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson, who is Dre's wife. She is a biracial anesthesiologist who was raised by hippies. Her alma mater is Brown University.
- Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, Dre and Rainbow's 17-year-old daughter. She is the attractive, popular, entitled, stylish, and socially active member of the Johnson family. She is typically apathetic to any dealings with her family and is always treated as the world's most perfect teenager, despite her generally shallow personality and tendencies of selfishness towards her siblings, especially Junior.
- Marcus Scribner as Andre ("Junior") Johnson Jr., Dre and Rainbow's 16-year-old son. He is a so-called "nerd" who is confused by the world around him and frequently subjected to disdain and pettiness at the hands of his more shallow and obnoxious father and siblings.
- Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Dre and Rainbow's upbeat 8-year-old son, fraternal twin of Diane, who idolizes his father.
- Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson, Dre and Rainbow's 8-year-old daughter, fraternal twin of Jack, who considers herself smarter and more mature than her twin brother.
- Jenifer Lewis as Ruby Johnson (recurring season 1; starring season 2-present), Dre's mother.[8]
- Jeff Meacham as Josh Oppenhol (recurring season 1, 3—present; starring season 2), Dre's co-worker.
- Peter Mackenzie as Leslie Stevens (recurring seasons 1—2; starring season 3—present), Dre's boss and co-owner of Stevens & Lido.
Recurring cast
- Laurence Fishburne as Earl "Pops" Johnson, Dre's father.[9][10][11]
- Deon Cole as Charlie Telphy, Dre's co-worker.
- Raven-Symoné as Rhonda Johnson, Dre's sister who is a lesbian but is not yet comfortable discussing her sexuality.
- Catherine Reitman as Lucy, Dre's co-worker.
- Wanda Sykes as Daphne Lido, ex-wife of Phillip Lido and new co-owner of Stevens & Lido.
- Allen Maldonado as Curtis Miller Jr., Dre's co-worker.
- Elle Young as Sharon Duckworth, Rhonda's fiancée.
- Daveed Diggs as Johan, Rainbow's brother.
- Nelson Franklin as Connor Stevens, Leslie Stevens' son.
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 24 | September 24, 2014 | May 20, 2015 | |
2 | 24 | September 23, 2015 | May 18, 2016 | |
3 | 24 | September 21, 2016 | May 10, 2017 | |
4 | 24[a] | October 3, 2017 | May 15, 2018 | |
5 | 23 | October 16, 2018 | May 21, 2019 | |
6 | 23 | September 24, 2019 | May 5, 2020 | |
7[b] | Special | October 4, 2020 | ||
19 | October 21, 2020 | May 18, 2021 | ||
8 | 13 | January 4, 2022 | April 19, 2022 |
Production
Development and casting
Black-ish first appeared on the development slate at ABC in October 2013, when it was reported that the project, which would star Anthony Anderson, had received a script commitment.[12] On January 16, 2014, ABC greenlit the pilot episode.[13] Two weeks later, Larry Wilmore joined the show as showrunner.[14] In mid-February, Laurence Fishburne was cast as the father of Anderson's character, and Tracee Ellis Ross signed on as the female lead.[15][16][17]
Filming
On May 8, 2014, ABC picked up the pilot to the series for the 2014–15 television season.[1][2] A few days later, Anderson announced that Larry Wilmore would be stepping down as showrunner early in the show's run due to his forthcoming late night show, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.[18]
On May 7, 2015, ABC renewed the series for a second season.
On March 3, 2016, ABC renewed the series for a third season.[19]
Reception
Nielsen ratings
Season | Timeslot (ET) | # Ep. | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Premiere Viewers (in millions) |
Premiere 18-49 rating/share |
Date | Finale Viewers (in millions) |
Finale 18-49 rating/share | ||||||
1 | Wednesday 9:30 pm | 24 | 11.04[20] | 3.3/10[20] | 5.36[21] | 1.6/5[21] | 2014–2015 | #54[22] | 8.49[22] | ||
2 | 24 | 7.30[23] | 2.4/7[23] | 5.05[24] | 1.5/5[24] | 2015–2016 | #60[25] | 7.22[25] | |||
3 | 24[26] | 6.39[27] | 2.0/7[27] | 2016–2017 |
Critical response
Black-ish has been met with generally positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives season 1 a rating of 86% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's consensus states, "Although it seems uncertain of its target audience, Black-ish ingratiates with a diverse cast and engaging cultural issues."[28] Metacritic gave season 1 a score of 77 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29] Rolling Stone's December 4, 2014 issue called it "one of the only new network comedies worth watching," praising in particular Laurence Fishburne's performance. Anthony Anderson's performance was met with critical acclaim, earning him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Awards and nominations
Season 1
Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Film Institute | Top 10 TV Shows | Black-ish | Won | [30] |
People's Choice Awards | Favorite New TV Comedy | Black-ish | Nominated | [31] |
NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | Black-ish | Won | [32] |
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Won | [32] | |
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Tracee Ellis Ross | Won | [32] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Yara Shahidi | Won | [32] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Laurence Fishburne | Won | [32] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Marcus Scribner | Nominated | [32] | |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [33] |
Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Actor: Comedy | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [34] |
Choice TV: Breakout Star | Yara Shahidi | Nominated | [34] | |
Choice TV: Breakout Show | Black-ish | Nominated | [34] | |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [35] |
Season 2
Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | Black-ish | Won | [36] |
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Won | [36] | |
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Tracee Ellis Ross | Won | [36] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Marsai Martin | Won | [36] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Miles Brown | Nominated | [36] | |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Laurence Fishburne | Nominated | [36] | |
Outstanding Performance by a Youth | Marcus Scribner | Won | [36] | |
Outstanding Performance by a Youth | Miles Brown | Nominated | [36] | |
Outstanding Performance by a Youth | Marsai Martin | Nominated | [36] | |
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series | Kenya Barris for "The Word" | Won | [36] | |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Comedy Series | Black-ish | Nominated | [37] |
Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [37] | |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Tracee Ellis Ross | Nominated | [37] | |
Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series | Jenifer Lewis | Nominated | [37] | |
Peabody Award | Black-ish | Won | [38] | |
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards | Favorite TV Actor - Family Show | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | |
TCA Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Black-ish | Won | |
Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Comedy Series | Black-ish | Nominated | |
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Tracee Ellis Ross | Nominated |
Season 3
Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Critics' Choice Television Awards | Best Comedy Series | Black-ish | Nominated | [39] |
Best Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [39] | |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Tracee Ellis Ross | Nominated | [39] | |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Black-ish | Nominated | [40] |
Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [40] | |
Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy | Tracee Ellis Ross | Won | [40] | |
Producers Guild of America Awards | Episodic Television, Comedy | Producers of Black-ish | Nominated | [41] |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson, Miles Brown, Deon Cole, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Mackenzie, Marsai Martin, Jeff Meacham, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Yara Shahidi |
Nominated | [42] |
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Anthony Anderson | Nominated | [42] | |
Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour | Tom N. Stasinis, Peter J. Nusbaum and Whitney Purple for "God" | Pending | [43] |
2017 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Show (Family) | Black-ish | Pending |
Social and political commentary content
Racism
Black-ish addresses not only the racism that the Johnsons face as an upper-middle class African-American family, but also includes the racism African-Americans from a variety of backgrounds face in America. The "Pilot" episode starts off the series by introducing Dre's fear that his kids are too assimilated to their primarily white surroundings and losing their black culture. The episode also addresses racism African-Americans face in the workplace when Dre gets excited for a promotion at his advertising agency, which turns out to be for Senior Vice President of the Urban Division. In response, Dre questions, "Did they just put me in charge of black stuff?" This episode raises the question of where the line is drawn so that you are not defined by your race but your culture still remains relevant.[44]
In the 25th episode, "The Word", Jack performs Kanye West's "Gold Digger" at school and says the N-word. The rest of the episode discusses the generational and multicultural perspectives of the word and how it has a different meaning to different people, even between different African-Americans. That different meaning comes with different guidelines and regulations for the use of the N-word based on the speaker, the context, and the audience.[45]
LGBTQ+
In the 22nd episode, "Please Don't Ask, Please Don't Tell". Dre's sister, Rhonda, is introduced. Rhonda is a lesbian but never officially came out to her family. Family members just gradually figured it out because of Rhonda's live-in girlfriend, however, no one ever acknowledges it. Andre admits that homosexuality is a topic that most African-Americans prefer to avoid, which is why he never discusses it with his sister. This leads to Rhonda not inviting any of her family members to her wedding and Andre finally talking to Rhonda about her sexuality.[46]
Police Brutality
In the 40th episode, "Hope", the show tackles police brutality and Black Lives Matter as the family watches the news reporting about an unarmed young, black man's fatal run-in with police. Although the case was fictional, many real names, such as Freddie Gray and Sandra Bland, were included in the family's discussion. The debate format of the episode was able to address both sides of the situation and not completely villianize the police force. However, it leaned more towards the Black Lives Matter movement. The format also allowed for perspectives from different generations, backgrounds, and ideologies. The end of the episode revolved around a message of hope and the importance of protests, discussion, and attitudes when people are faced with tragedies from police brutality, assassinations, etc.[47]
References
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2014). "ABC New Series Pickups: 'Selfie', 'Forever', Galavant', 'Whispers', 'How To Get Away With Murder', 'American Crime', 'Black-ish', Jeff Lowell Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (May 8, 2014). "ABC Orders 'Marvel's Agent Carter,' 4 Other Dramas and 4 Comedies". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Shows A-Z - black-ish on abc". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (May 13, 2014). "ABC Fall Schedule: Shonda Rhimes Owns Thursdays, Black-ish Gets the Post–Modern Family Slot". Vulture. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- ^ O'Connell, Michael (May 13, 2014). "ABC Fall Schedule: Shonda Rhimes Rules Thursday, 'Black-ish' Gets 'Modern Family' Slot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 15, 2014). "ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Abrams, Natalie (March 3, 2016). "Grey's Anatomy, Quantico, and more renewed at ABC". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
- ^ "ABC's black-ish Casts Jenifer Lewis as Anthony Anderson's Mother". Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ^ "black-ish". ABC Medianet. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Adams, Erik (July 15, 2014). "Laurence Fishburne will be back for Hannibal's third season". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
Though he didn't (and likely couldn't) go into specifics, Fishburne noted that he'll only be a recurring presence on both Hannibal and Black-ish this year, an arrangement he made to continue his involvement with both series.
- ^ "Black-ish". ABC All Access. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
Laurence Fishburne (recurring character)
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 8, 2013). "Anthony Anderson Toplines ABC Comedy Written By Kenya Barris & Produced By Laurence Fishburne Who May Guest Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 16, 2014). "Comedy Starring Anthony Anderson From Laurence Fishburne Gets ABC Pilot Order". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 31, 2014). "ABC's Anthony Anderson/Kenya Barris Pilot Taps Larry Wilmore As Showrunner". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 10, 2014). "Laurence Fishburne Set For ABC's Anthony Anderson Pilot; Jade Catta-Preta Joins Jeff Lowell Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 19, 2014). "Tracee Ellis Ross To Co-Star In Anthony Anderson Pilot; Ricky Blitt Pilot Adds One". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay (February 20, 2014). "Tracee Ellis Ross Will Play Anthony Anderson's Wife In ABC's Kenya Barris Pilot, 'Black-ish'". Indiewire. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
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- ^ Robinson, Joanna. "How Black-ish's Searing Political Commentary Transcended "Very Special Episode" Territory". HWD. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
External links
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- 2010s American television series
- 2014 American television series debuts
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American television sitcoms
- Black sitcoms
- English-language television programming
- Single-camera television sitcoms
- Television series about suburbia
- Television series by ABC Studios
- Television shows set in Los Angeles
- Television series about families