black-ish premieres tonight on ABC
Our family was given a sneak peek at the upcoming premiere for the new ABC series, black-ish.
BLACK-ISH is a family comedy starring Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Laurence Fishburne that sheds light on cultural differences amongst three generations of the same family.
A timely, relevant series that provides an entertaining cultural snapshot into the socioeconomic challenges facing modern-day African-American families, BLACK-ISH holds the potential of becoming an important cultural document concerning the Black experience in America. Though lighthearted and fun, the series touches on three different lines of tension: race, class and gender, all of which are of concern to Christian families right now.
From the moment my family and I started seeing the trailer for black-ish air on TV we knew it would be hilarious. We set our DVR in advance. When I received the screener in the mail to watch the pilot episode, our family gathered around and watched together. As you can see from the many video clips published online and from the full length trailer above, there are several funny scenes in the sitcom. Although the entire family enjoyed watching the show and we all laughed at various parts, I would have to say most of the comedy was geared more towards adults than kids.
The show was not useless comedy either. The topics raised into question were geared around cultural and religious differences. The issues addressed are real issues people face every day while taking a lighthearted comedic spin to it. I know a lot of buzz online is that the show is considered racist, yet I did not get that vibe at all when watching it. If anything, the father was the one trying to not let go of the fact he is black. Not because of mere skin color but because of cultural reasons. He wanted his family to remember their heritage and he felt that slipping away when his son wanted to play field hockey over basketball, have a bar mitzvah even though they aren’t Jewish and go by the name of Andy {nickname given by his white friend} instead of Andre. The children never once act like they feel segregated at their schools. No racism is shown during the pilot episode.
After watching the pilot I was able to explain a few different things to my own children. For instance we are not Jewish so they didn’t know why Andre wanted to have a bar mitzvah or even why his dad was shocked. I got the chance to explain a little about the Jewish religion to them. I also got to explain what field hockey is since that is not a well known sport where we live. My son is American Indian and his father’s side of the family make sure they teach him about his heritage. Instead of him just seeing that his skin tone is different than mine, he understands why because of their family lessons. I think it is important for him to learn about history and cultural differences. I know he will appreciate it when he is older. Being educated on various cultures, religions and history is extremely valuable.
You can download the TV series companion to study with your family. The companion covers some of the topics shown in the episode and provides great talking points for the family.
Full Disclosure: My family received an early viewing of black-ish on DVD for purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% my own.