ABC has officially ordered a sixth season of the popular TV sitcom Black-ish, as well as the long-rumored spinoff prequel series Mixed-ish, featuring Traces Ellis Ross’ character Rainbow Johnson and her experiences growing up in the 1980s.
Per Deadline, the network intended to air an episode of Black-ish titled “Becoming Bow” on May 7 that would have served as a “backdoor pilot to the prequel series.” With the news that mixed-ish has officially received a series order, that episode will now air next season, with an episode of Bless This Mess taking the now vacant spot.
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The series renewal for Black-ish comes as no surprise, as the series has struck a cord with critics and audiences alike. For those unaware, the show follows the Johnsons, “an affluent African-American family struggling to raise their kids in the largely white culture of well-to-do suburbia.”
Along with Ross, Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin, Jennifer Lewis, Peter Mackenzie and Deon Cole.
Mixed-ish will be written Peter Saji and Kenya Barris, and feature Arica Himmel, Tika Sumpter, Christina Anthony, Mykal-Michelle Harris and Ethan Childress.
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Ellis Ross’ work in Black-ish has earned the actress three consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Actress in a Comedy since the show premiered in the fall of 2014. She took home the Golden Globe for her portrayal of Rainbow back in 2017.
The sitcom currently finished its fifth season, which kicked off this past October. However, like many in Hollywood these days, Black-ish creator Kenya Barris left ABC Studios for an overall deal with Netflix last year. Barris’ relationship with ABC was strained by the network’s decision to shelve an episode of the series that addressed the issue of athletes kneeling during performances of the national anthem.
Black-ish airs Tuesday nights on ABC.
