Who can/cannot use the N-Word? Tonight, black-ish kicks off their second season in a bold way in their premiere episode “THE Word”, airing at 9:30pm ET|PT on ABC. Get ready with a sneak peek!
One of my favorite debut shows of last season was black-ish! Every single episode was fantastic, with so much humor. I mean, black-ish took on some pretty controversial issues like Black Republicans, African-American perceptions of the LGBTQ community, generational shifts in understanding the Civil Rights Movement, and much more. It tackled these topics with a certain facetiousness, and by the end of each episode, a nugget of brutal honesty creeped up and smacked the viewers in the back of their head. I really do commend black-ish‘s awesome writers and cast for walking this line and doing it with flair.
Tonight black-ish returns for it’s sophomore season, and by all accounts, the show is going to keep the funnies and wry commentary coming! In an interview with HuffPost Black Voices, creator and Executive Producer Kenya Barris gives fans a glimpse of what’s to come:
Promising to produce a collection of episodes that touch on several prevalent topics, everything from black men’s health to how people view guns, season two is projected to be more transparent and progressive than ever. “Every week you’re getting honest topics,” declared Barris. “This is a show the whole family can watch uncensored, and each member can take something away from it.”
Judging from the synopsis and sneak peeks of tonight’s premiere, black-ish is kicking things off in a bold way! In “THE Word”, written by Barris and directed by Matt Sohn:
JACK’S USE OF THE WORD LEADS TO A LARGER DISCUSSION FOR THE ENTIRE JOHNSON FAMILY, WHILE DRE AND BOW WORK TOGETHER TO KEEP JACK FROM EXPULSION—Jack performs the song “Gold Digger” at a school talent show and when he sings a lyric that includes THE word, it leads to his possible expulsion from school. Dre and Bow work together to get him reinstated, and along the way, examine the evolution of THE word through the generations and just who, if anyone, has the right to use it. (via ABC)
Right off the bat, we’re dealing with using the N-word, which is super controversial within the Black community and in our broader society. In the same HuffPost Black Voices article, Anthony Anderson (Dre Johnson) shares a similar sentiment:
“It’s part of our culture, so we wanted to give an honest and unique take on it,” said Anderson. “In this time when we’re suppose to be an elevated society, the word is still as prevalent as Jim Crow.”
Mirroring the difference in perspectives and beliefs about the word, the emphasis was providing a well-rounded look at where the N-word fits within different social circles and segments of society.
Check out three clips from “THE Word”. In the first video, Dre and Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) don’t find a lot of sympathy from the principal of the school, who is also African-American (perhaps not so surprising). In the second and third clips, we see a Johnson family debate about who can/cannot use the N-word:
Here’s a sneak peek at tomorrow’s hilarious #blackish season premiere! https://t.co/rSJtJWeZLM
— black-ish (@black_ishABC) September 22, 2015
I’m really excited about tonight’s show, especially given the cast and creators’ deliberate attempts to show many sides of this complicated issue. As usual, I’m sure we’ll get the bold truth couched in humor. At the very least, this will make our twitter conversations very interesting!
black-ish airs at 9:30pm ET|PT on ABC, so make sure to tune in and come live tweet while we watch!
[Featured Image: SCREENSHOT/SOURCE]
