Morgan Lanyon
As the new comedy Black-ish dives deeper into its first season, one thing is clear; this show will bring controversy.
While I found the premise of this show to be hilarious in the beginning, I am now realizing that the amount of controversy it brings is not worth the show.
Donald Trump has even spoken out against the show.
“How is ABC Television allowed to have a show entitled ‘Black-ish’? Can you imagine the furor of a show, ‘White-ish’! Racism at highest level?”
The show focuses on Andre, a successful, wealthy African-American man who lives with his wife, four kids, and his father. The title comes from Andre wanting his kids to act stereotypically more “black.”
In the pilot, Andre talks about how he came from nothing, and wants his kids to realize where they come from. What I find confusing is the fact that he wants his kids to act just like he did when he was a child, but they are being raised in a completely different situation.
The pilot then continues on when Andre gets a promotion to be Senior Vice President in the “Urban” division at his work. This makes Andre angry, and his wife points out the obvious. He was angry at the fact that they gave him the job because he is black, yet if they didn’t give him the job, he’d be angry because he is black.
The pilot shows Andre’s son, Andre Jr. wanting a bar-mitzvah, playing field hockey, and going by “Andy.” These things, as Andre points out, are not “black.”
While the writers of the show are doing their best to focus on the comedy spectrum of things, they are lacking in emotional interaction. Even though the show is a comedy, there should be some emotional connection between a parent and his kids.
The second episode of the season completely abandoned the premise. Nowhere did it mention how Andre wanted his family to be more “black.” Rather, it focused on normal family problems. This is fine, however, there are already plenty of shows that have this basic plot line.
The show’s plot intrigued me in the beginning, but now it is sort of pissing me off. I hope this show picks up in time to become a hit, but I don’t see it going in that direction.
