Within each episode of Black-ish, there’s a message that lies within whether it’s personal to the Johnson family or one that speaks to the world watching at home. To mark its success, the ABC sitcom will celebrate 100 episodes on Tuesday (Nov. 13), a feat that creator/executive producer Kenya Barris is excited to commemorate.
During a Q&A session with The Hollywood Reporter, Barris dished on the magic that the Black-ish cast creates each episode and his hope that his time outside of ABC’s studios will produce something similar. “I’m doing things at other places now, and my joke is, ‘I wonder if during their hiatus, I can just get the exact same cast and do a different show.’ I think ABC might be mad. But like, it is [true] — I’m scared because this can’t happen again,” he said.
Barris then went on to praise his Black-ish cast which includes award-winning actors like Tracee Ellis Ross, Jenifer Lewis, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Anderson, Deon Cole, and the younger generation of stars like Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Marsai Martin, and Miles Brown.
“This is literally a group of people who singularly are magic and wonderful and amazing, but collectively, they come together and they make gumbo,” he said. “I thank you for changing my life, I thank you for being a part of what I think has helped change the world.”
From a Schoolhouse Rock-themed episode about slavery’s history to the family’s reaction to Donald Trump’s real-life election, Black-ish made sure to tackle everyday issues but managed to make the darkest moments in America’s history a little bit light with its comedy.
Black-ish is currently in its fifth season since debuting in 2014.
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