(Titled “Please, Baby, Please,” the program eventually saw the light of day in 2020 on sister streaming service Hulu.)įor all that, the network and producers probably did the show no favors by overly milking its success, spinning off the Freeform series “grown-ish” and short-lived prequel “mixed-ish.” Although the network welcomed the adulation it didn’t always embrace the controversy, famously shelving an episode in 2017 that slyly allowed Dre to address concerns about an America that would elect Donald Trump via a bedtime story that conveyed his fears. Nominated for multiple Emmys during its eight-season run, “black-ish” became a signature series for ABC, as well as a throwback to the days when sitcoms dealt with provocative issues. The move brought back a flood of nostalgia about all that the couple had experienced and push-back from their kids, who understandably felt some reluctance about leaving the only home they’d known. “Seventeen years on the same street, and the whole neighborhood was still whispering about us behind our backs,” he said in voiceover, before being relieved to discover that his wife Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) was on the same page. The focus of this final chapter, subtitled “Homegoing,” involved Dre (Anthony Anderson) deciding that he needed to shake up his life by moving from the mostly White area where the family had lived and watched the children grow up to a Black neighborhood – or as he wryly put it, one of those places where they filmed “Insecure.” But it was the last scene that really sold the episode, offering a reminder of a show that consciously sought to raise the bar for the network sitcom. Enjoy them.“Black-ish” crammed a lot into its series finale, from a callback to its premiere to a cameo by gymnast Simone Biles, from moving out of the family’s house – and the memories that elicited – to a raucous New Orleans-style funeral. So my grading of the show applies only to the first two seasons. Update 11/10/16: I am sorry to say that the show's focus and its comedic balance shifted in season 3. Update 10/30/14: The show has proved that it is consistently funny. The youngest daughter, Diane, is hilarious she possesses a comic timing that far surpasses her age. And the writers are mining laughs far outside the topic of race. I hope this show pursues the path it is on. And it eventually shows that humanity trumps "blackness". "Black-ish" reveals that the father's discontent is a generational thing-something all of us feel who realize that young people cannot identify with the values and events of earlier generations. He says, "They (the younger generation) have nothing left to struggle for." The mother replies, "Can't that be a good thing?" And he answers, "No!" This show reveals some truths without spelling them out, like "All in the Family" did so well. Like the Cosby family, this family speaks the Queen's English, and they prove to be rather genteel, despite the father's attempts to reconnect with "the struggle". And I found "Black-ish" to be a very enjoyable comedy that had me laughing out loud numerous times. But one episode does not a series make, so I watched the third. I don't remember what made me give it another chance, but I decided to watch the second episode and I was pleasantly surprised. But the show is titled "Black-ish" and it is appropriately titled. It's an unfortunate pilot that leads viewers to think that the entire show will be a narrow diatribe on "blackness". Like some other reviewers here, when I watched the first episode, I turned it off after about ten minutes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |