‘Black-ish’ Spinoff Renamed ‘Grown-ish’; Chris Parnell, Trevor Jackson Cast

The upcoming “Black-ish” spinoff, which was originally titled “College-ish,” will now be called “Grown-ish.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, the spinoff will center on Yara Shahidi’s character, Zoey, as she leaves the Johnson household to start her life at university. “Grown-ish” creator Kenya Barris recently released a statement explaining the central theme for the upcoming 13-episode series.

“‘Grown-ish’ reflects what we’ll be dealing with in the show – that in-between place where you’re not quite an adult but facing grown world problems for the first time. Where ‘Black-ish’ examines what it means to be black, ‘Grown-ish’ is an examination of what it is and what it means to be grown,” he said.

Read: Will Yara Shahidi still be part of “Black-ish” Season 4 as Zoey?

Meanwhile, other than the change in the spinoff’s title, “Grown-ish” has also cast three actors as series regulars. Chris Parnell, who first appeared in the backdoor pilot episode titled “Liberal Arts,” will reprise his role as a dean at Southern California University. “American Crime” alum Trevor Jackson will also reprise his role as the socially conscious sophomore student that Zoey previously met on campus.

Additionally, “The Good Place” star Emily Arlook will be playing the role of a freshman student named Miriam. Arlook will be replacing Mallory Sparks. The latter appeared as Miriam in the pilot, according to Deadline.

“Grown-ish” will premiere on Freeform sometime next year. Originally, the spinoff was rumored to air on ABC just like “Black-ish.” Even before it was announced that Freeform would cater to “Grown-ish,” Barris already expressed his confidence in both the show and lead star Shahidi. While speaking with TV Guide, the creator said that he is confident the former child star would be up for the challenge.

In other news, “Black-ish” will continue to focus on the Johnson family led by patriarch Dre (Anthony Anderson). Despite their daughter’s absence, Dre and Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) will continue to tend to their three other children, namely, Andre (Marcus Scribner), Jack (Miles Brown) and Diane (Marsai Martin). Zoey will also appear in future episodes of “Black-ish,” but only as a guest star.

“Black-ish” Season 4 will premiere on ABC on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. EST.