ABC Orders ‘Black-ish’ Spinoff ‘Mixed-ish’

ABC has given an early series order to Mixed-ish, a spinoff of comedy Black-ish that explores Rainbow Johnson’s experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the ‘80s.

ABC also ordered a sixth season of Black-ish.

Black-ish also spawned spinoff Grown-ish, which airs on Freeform.

Tracee Ellis Ross plays Rainbow on Black-ish. Anthony Anderson plays Andre Johnson, Laurence Fishburne is Pops, Yara Shahidi portrays Zoey Johnson, Marcus Scribner plays Andre Johnson Jr., Miles Brown plays Jack Johnson, Marsai Martin portrays Diane Johnson and Jenifer Lewis plays Ruby.

Kenya Barris created Black-ish. He executive produces with Jonathan Groff, Kenny Smith, Gail Lerner, Courtney Lilly, Lindsey Shockley, Peter Saji, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and E. Brian Dobbins. The series is produced by ABC Studios.

In Mixed-ish, Rainbow’s parents Paul and Alicia decide to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs to better provide for their family. As her parents struggle with the challenges of their new life, Bow and her siblings navigate a school in which they’re perceived as neither black nor white. This family’s experiences illuminate the challenges of finding one’s own identity when the rest of the world can’t decide where you belong.

The series stars Arica Himmel as Bow Johnson, Tika Sumpter as Alicia Johnson, Christina Anthony as Denise, Mykal-Michelle Harris as Santamonica Johnson and Ethan Childress as Johan Johnson.

Peter Saji and Kenya Barris are writers and executive producers on Mixed-ish along with Tracee Ellis Ross, Randall Winston, Artists First (Brian Dobbins), Cinema Gypsy (Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland) and Anthony Anderson.

Mixed-ish is produced by ABC Studios.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.