Whenever I see a kid pop up in a film or TV show I’m watching, I’m usually like, “Whoa, kid, get off my screen.” Because most children are terrible actors. They don’t understand the craft.
Despite becoming a cultural phenomenon at home, shows like Empire aren’t attracting the same number of viewers abroad, leading some to believe that the world just isn’t ready for African American stories outside of America. But it’s not that simple: the business of television is changing.
Sunday night’s episode of The Carmichael Show opens with talk of a condom breaking, after which the show’s lead, Jerrod Carmichael, excitedly supports his girlfriend Maxine taking a Plan B pill. Later, he consoles his mom, who hates the idea, telling her, “Stop acting like we’re killing a baby. We’re not. We’re…
Part of me was hoping that Wednesday night’s episode of Black-ish would give me the Magic Words: the exact right things to say to my daughter when she starts asking me about institutionalized racism. It didn’t, because, really, how could it?
Conversations about “nigga” tend to sputter to a stop. Inevitably, generational divides and stout beliefs come into play, but the focus is always on who gets to say it and why. We then debate about whether these debates, as prevalent as the word itself, are even worth having. They definitely are, especially when done…
There’s a chance Obama could be making a future appearance on the show Black-ish. Anthony Anderson told E! he was petitioning for the president and first lady to guest star. “They watch the show. They love it. We know them so we’ve been dealing with them and their people and hopefully they’ll say yes.” Anderson found…
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s married life is so fascinating that it’s now inspired a sitcom. Love is alive, sheeple.
In an episode that graciously skated around party politics, Wednesday night’s Black-ish took on the notion of the rare Black Republican. The problematic issue at hand: Junior joining the Young Republicans Club.
On ABC's hit series Black-ish, about an extended upper-middle-class family going through typical suburban family motions with a gimlet eye towards race, characters have an incredible sense of style that sets the tone for the show. Colors are bright, styles are simultaneously nuanced and over the top, while the…
On Tuesday, Deadline Hollywood's Nellie Andreeva dissected the swell of actors of color in television's casting rooms and leading roles, writing that minorities might be snatching too many jobs. I mean, what are the white actors supposed to do in this kind of climate?
Someone find Lee Daniels, Kenya Barris, Shonda Rhimes and Jennie Snyder Urman and hug them: their television successes with Empire, Black-ish, How to Get Away with Murder and Jane the Virgin are opening doors for other diverse shows. Give thanks!
In light of Bill Cosby's recent rape allegations, Judd Apatow has been adamant on Twitter about how much he detests the comedian. But Black-ish creator Kenya Barris finds the director's public tirades a little odd. Barris sent a series of tweets on Monday night, criticizing his peer for what he calls a "strangely…
On Wednesday night, Black-ish aired its requisite Christmas episode, the fall finale, which featured Andre (Anthony Anderson) campaigning to be the first Black Santa for his annual office party. One of the show's simple, burdensome tasks as a Black family sitcom that also directly tackles race is to merely succeed. In…
How to Get Away with Murder is beating Scandal and Kerry Washington's quivering bottom lip in ratings. ABC's Shondaland strategy — diverse casts, inappropriate husbands (with dick pics!), confused faces (Wes, he never knows what's going on!) and good wigs (Viola, we see you!) — is working.
Spanking was the topic of Wednesday night's episode of Black-ish, titled "Crime and Punishment." It's a debate that never really ends, and one that boiled over last month after disturbing news that Adrian Peterson beat and left bruises on his son and called it a "whooping." Instead of implying that there's a…
Wednesday night's episode of Black-ish opened with Trick Daddy's "I'm A Thug." This was a great and special thing. As Trick Daddy's street socio-political anthem plays in the background, Anthony Anderson's character Andre does a voiceover rant about the importance of Black ownership: "Credit hasn't always been the…
There will be enough Viola Davis, Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross to go around at least until May sweeps, as both Black-ish and the Shonda Rhimes-produced How to Get Away with Murder have been been ordered for full seasons by ABC. Like Annalise Keating, I am glowering at an invisible camera in celebration.
People of color are taking over … the fall television schedule. From Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis to Octavia Spencer and Tracee Ellis Ross, it’s a long overdue change on network TV.
The new ABC comedy, Black-Ish, just dropped some very, very colorful promo art.
