The ABC sitcom Black-ish is still a relatively new show with only two seasons under its belt, but it’s already broken down many barriers and become one of the most talked about shows on the air right now as it tackles important issues like racism, diversity and even police brutality. The series tells the story of The Johnson’s, a middle class African American family living in a classy neighborhood starring veteran actors like Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. Black-ish has received widespread critical acclaim, receiving many nominations and awards including two Emmy nominations in the category of Outstanding Comedy Series. The series is about to begin its third season so we’ve decided to take a look at 8 things you might not have known about the popular series, Black-ish!
8. The Show is Somewhat Autobiographical
The show isn’t necessarily a biography, but show creator Kenya Barris has stated that he drew comparisons from his own life, as well as lead actor Anthony Anderson, who is also an executive producer on the show, when he created the Johnson family. “Kenya and I sat down two years ago and conceived the show. The show in its original form was about both our families. We’re products of the inner city — Kenya from Inglewood and me from Compton — and both of us are first-generation successful. All of our children are in private schools, and we’re the only blacks living in our respective neighborhoods. When we met for the first time, we met to talk about business, but we ended up talking about each other and found out that we had more in common than not,” said Anderson. For example, matriarch Rainbow Johnson is a bi-racial anesthesiologist while Barris’s own wife, who is also named Rainbow, is an anesthesiologist with a white father and black mother. Unlike Anthony, Tracee has stated that she’s actually nothing like her character, Bow. In real life, Tracee was raised by a famous mother, Diane Ross and is often found wearing heels, accessories and makeup while Bow is much more low key and has a more average, day-to-day comfortable attire.
ABC