Kenya Barris announces that Black-ish has been renewed for its eighth and final season
Kenya Barris announced that the hit ABC sitcom Black-ish had been renewed for an eighth and final season on Friday.
The 46-year-old producer made the news public through a video posted to his Instagram account that featured various clips from the series as well as interviews from its cast members.
The writer also wrote a lengthy message in the post’s caption to let his followers know about his thoughts on Black-ish’s ending and to express his gratitude to its fans for their continued viewership.
Making it known: Kenya Barris announced that Black-ish had been renewed for its eighth and final season on Friday; he is pictured in October of 2019
Barris began by writing: ‘To ALL the people in the world I love, honor, respect and care for it is both exciting and bittersweet to share that black-ish has been RENEWED by ABC for it’s EIGHTH… and FINAL SEASON.’
He also noted that the show’s crew was ‘grateful along with ABC to be able to make this final season exactly what we’d hoped for-and to do it with the entire and AMAZINGLY STELLAR cast.’
The Shaft writer went on to express that working on Black-ish has been one of the highlights of his professional career and credited its fanbase with ensuring its success and longevity.
‘This show has changed my life in so many ways and I am so proud of the conversations we’ve started along the way. None of this would have been possible without our audience and supporters,’ he wrote.
Wide exposure: The series creator made the news public through a video posted to his Instagram account
Expressing his thanks: Barris also wrote a lengthy message in the post’s caption to let the show’s viewers know how much he and the rest of Black-ish’s crew appreciated their support over the years; he is seen at the 2020 premiere of Bad Boys For Life
Barris then wrote that the show’s viewers were especially gracious in ‘allowing us to talk about things that people were not supposed to talk about period… especially on a network television comedy.’
He also expressed his gratitude towards everyone involved in Black-ish’s production and credited his loved ones with being a constant source of inspiration for the show’s themes.
‘Thank you to everyone who made it possible to get to this point! The cast, crew, writers, directors, executives, and especially my family, who allowed me to mine so many deeply personal moments from them,’ he recalled.
Making an impact: In his message, Barris wrote about how he and the cast and crew of the series were ‘so proud of the conversations we’ve started’ about the issues faced on the show
In-depth: Specifically, the writer wrote that Black-ish’s fans allowed the crew ‘to talk about things that people were not supposed to talk about’
Barris concluded by reiterating his gratitude for the series’ viewers and for their continued support of the crew’s efforts.
‘Tears fill my eyes and a smile brightens my face as I say thank you to ALL of my blackish family for all you have given of yourselves,’ he wrote.
Black-ish first premiered in 2014 and was an instant hit with viewers, many of whom pointed to the show’s coverage of difficult subject matter as a strong point.
Taking notes: Barris also wrote that he owed an enormous debt to his family, as he had used some of their experiences as material for the show
Successful show: Black-ish initially premiered on ABC in 2014 and was an instant hit with viewers
The series was centered around the family of Andre and Rainbow Johnson as they deal with both personal and social issues that affect them.
The show starred several notable performers, with Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross leading the cast.
Other actors who were involved in Black-ish’s production include Peter Mackenzie, Jenifer Lewis and Laurence Fishburne.
Storyline: The show followed the lives of the Johnson family as they navigated both personal and social issues
Stacked cast: The series features the talents of performers such as Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne and Tracee Ellis Ross
The show’s success resulted in the production of two spinoff series entitled Grown-ish and Mixed-ish, which premiered in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
A third spinoff, which is tentatively titled Old-ish and is set to star Lewis and Fishburne, is currently in development.
The series itself and its cast have been nominated for numerous accolades, and it has been put up for several Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe awards during its run.
Continuing the story: Black-ish’s success resulted in the production of two spinoff series, and a third show, entitled Old-ish, is currently in the works