As the fifth season of Black-ish gets underway, its creator Kenya Barris is no longer serving as showrunner, leading many many to wonder, “what’s next?” for the popular show that’s always had it’s finger on the pulse of popular culture.
Although the prolific TV producer left his brainchild three years before his ABC contract was up, in order to write and produce exclusively for Netflix, before his exit in August he made it a priority to keep the sitcom in good hands.
Black-ish has often been cited as Barris’ most personal project, due to the fact that it’s heavily based on his own family and experiences. And since it’s premiere in 2014, it’s made history as the first major broadcast network comedy in almost a decade to revolve around a black family. It also has had the distinction of being one of the few sitcoms willing to “go there” and unpack testy social topics that most dramas stay clear of.
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According to a profile in the Los Angeles Times, to keep the show going, Barris enlisted the help of Jonathan Groff, who worked with him for three seasons on the show, then Kenny Smith, who had been showrunner for The Game on BET and co-executive producer for NBC’s Marlon.
In a moment reminiscent of Issa Rae’s infamous retort on the Emmy‘s red carpet, Barris, 44, was very blunt when asked why he enlisted Smith to play such a pivotal role in his absence.
“Because he’s black,” Barris wrote in an email to the publication. “No other reason. It sounds like I’m joking… and I am. But only sort of. It was really important to me to have someone who shared the experiences of this family also be a part of telling the stories about a black family.”
The gravity of upholding the social integrity of a series widely applauded for highlighting the black experience is not lost on Smith, but it’s a challenge he’s enthusiastic to take on.
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“I’ve been on almost a dozen comedy shows, but to also be on a show that says the things that this show says and has the kind of fun this show has, and honestly still be a black show… it feels really good,” he said.
“There’s certain stories you can’t tell on ‘Modern Family’ or on any other family show that can only be told by this black family, and that’s what I love and appreciate,” Smith later noted.
This season, the timely comedy about a black family living in a predominantly white, upper-class neighborhood will focus on what happens when lead character “Dre” Johnson (Anthony Anderson), an advertising executive, reconnects with his anesthesiologist wife, Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross), after their brief marital separation last season.
The 40-something year old patriarch will also have to deal with his 18-year-old son Junior returning home for a gap year while his twins Jack and Diane enter junior high. Given how politically active Generation Z has been as of late, this season’s premise is ripe with possibilities to tackle “ripped from the headlines” issues that it’s viewers deal with every day.
“Down here on the floor, there’s no difference,” lead actress Ross admitted, also referring to Barris’ departure. “By Season 5, we’re in our flow, and I think [Barris] did such a good job of setting up what the tone of the show was.”
Blackish airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 9PM EST.