Back in Long Beach last November, Kenya Barris—creator of black-ish, grown-ish, and mixed-ish, as well as writer of everything from Girls Trip to the upcoming Coming 2 America—broke down his upcoming Netflix series, now title #blackAF, which is hitting the streaming giant on April 17. Shot in a mockumentary style, Barris—who stars in the series, something he doesn't regularly do—provides viewers with a fictionalized look at his own life (complete with the talented and hilarious Rashida Jones playing his wife) and what happens when black folk get rich and try to understand where they fit in the world.
It'd probably be easy for some to call this black-ish for the Netflix set, but it's deeper than that. First off, they be cussin' on the show; ultimately, though, there's no need to have to appease to those who might not "get" what's going on, making it feel much realer, and extremely funnier. It also helps that the series has a number of interesting actors making appearances—from Nia Long and Mike Epps to Tyler Perry and Melvin Gregg. Truthfully, Kenya and Rashida's energy alone will be the anchors, but #blackAF is totally a family affair.
Check the trailer up top, and the official series synopsis (as well as images from the show) below.
From Kenya Barris, the Emmy® nominated creator of black-ish, comes the new comedy series #blackAF. Loosely inspired by Barris' irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackAF flips the script on what we’ve come to expect a family comedy series to be. Pulling back the curtain, #blackAF uncovers the messy, unfiltered and often hilarious world of what it means to be a “new money” black family trying to get it right in a modern world where “right” is no longer a fixed concept. The Netflix original series stars Barris as a fictionalized version of himself and Rashida Jones (Angie Tribeca) as his wife Joya. Kenya and Joya’s children are played by Genneya Walton (Extant), Iman Benson (Suits), Scarlet Spencer (Bright), Justin Claiborne (Reverie), Ravi Cabot-Conyers (Justine, The Resident) and Richard Gardenhire Jr. #blackAF is executive produced by Barris, Jones, and Hale Rothstein.
