ABC Renews ‘Black-Ish’ Amid Yara Shahidi’s Spinoff Pick Up On Freeform
The Johnsons will officially return to “Black-ish” Season 4!
ABC just renewed the half-hour sitcom on Thursday and Deadline reported that “The Real O’Neals” executive producer Stacy Traub will be sharing her expertise to improve the show. Traub, whose show, “The Real O’Neals,” was just canceled by the network, will be working closely with “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris for Season 4 following former EP Jonathan Groff’s exit.
Read: “Black-ish” spinoff starring Yara Shahidi won't be picked up by ABC
Since its second season premiere, “Black-ish” has received multiple nominations and awards. The sitcom was nominated at the Golden Globe and Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. The Anthony Anderson-starrer also received a TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. Anderson’s co-star, Tracee Ellis Ross, bagged home the Best Actress Award at the Golden Globe.
Meanwhile, the finale episode for “Black-ish” Season 3 aired on Wednesday, May 10. The installment saw the birth of Dre and Bow’s fifth child. “Sprinkles” drew in an audience of 4.8 million and a 1.3 rating in the demo among the 18-49 demographic, according to TV Line. These figures were slightly higher than the ratings the show received for episode 23.
Episode 24 opens with all of the characters excited with organizing Bow’s baby shower. Dre is especially thrilled to know that baby showers these days are not just for the moms, but also for the dads. But following gathering that was well-attended by the couple’s family and friends, Bow went to her doctor for a routine checkup. The results of the test revealed that Bow is suffering from complications.
Bow’s doctor suggested that her baby be born two months ahead of schedule to make sure that the mother’s life won’t be put at risk. Bow and Dre eventually decided to do what they are told, and the youngest member of the Johnson family was born towards the end of the episode.
In other news, “Black-ish” creator Barris previously proposed a spinoff for the sitcom that will focus primarily on Dre and Bow’s eldest daughter, Zoey (Yara Shahidi). Barris pitched the concept to ABC, and Season 3, episode 23 also served as a backdoor pilot for the spinoff. “Liberal Arts” centered on Zoey attending an orientation at the university. Dre dropped her off in school and ranted over the fact that his eldest is all grown up. The concerned dad also gave Zoey a short lecture before the latter said that she can take care of herself. The narration for episode 23 shifted from Dre to Zoey for the very first time.
Unfortunately, episode 23 didn’t generate impressive ratings from the audiences. A week later, Deadline reported that ABC is no longer interested in picking up the spinoff. Instead, the half-hour sitcom could find its new home on Freeform. The publication revealed that talks are already underway between the network and the show’s creators and producers. As of late, it is still unclear whether or not Shahidi will still be part of “Black-ish” Season 4 had the spinoff been picked up by Freeform.
“Black-ish” Season 4 is expected to premiere on ABC sometime in the fall.
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