We laughed, we cried, and laughed again at the PaleyFest LA screening and panel for ABC’s Black-ish. The sitcom is ending after it’s eighth season and fans everywhere gathered to celebrate our favorite family.
Prior to the screening, the Black-ish cast welcomed Hollywood News Source and other outlets to the event. HNS spoke with actress Yara Shahidi (Zoey Johnson), veteran Jenifer Johnson (Ruby Johnson) and Executive Producer Anthony Anderson (Andre Johnson). The castmates reflected on past seasons and even gave us the scoop on future projects. Check out the interviews below!
Following the carpet, we screened the series penultimate episode and sat down for a panel with the cast. The episode tugged at our heart strings as we looked back on how much the cast has grown. The socially-conscious show explored current issues through the lens of a successful Black family in the suburbs of LA. Although certain topics were unique to Black culture, including the cast’s favorite episode “The Nod”, fans of all backgrounds enjoyed the series. Fellow star Tracee Ellis Ross (Rainbow Johnson) commented that the series never offered answers, but focused on starting intergenerational conversations.
In addition to all-stars Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne, and Jenifer Johnson, the series also introduced a new generation of actors including Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish, The Sun is Also A Star), Marsai Martin (Little), rapper/actor Miles Brown, and Marcus Scribner (Grown-ish). Black-ish hosted a number of guest stars, including former first lady Michelle Obama.
Black-ish will always hold a special place in fans’ hearts. It may take years to understand the full impact of the progressive series, but even now we can appreciate the hard discussions and heartfelt laughs shared with the Johnson family.
The series finale will air on ABC April 19th with next day streaming available on Hulu.
