Review: #blackAF

Release date: April 17, 2020
Running time: 8 Episodes (30-40 Minutes each)
Starring: Kenya Barris, Rashida Jones, Gil Ozeri

Bringing something new to 2020 is a show that is roughly inspired by Kenya Barris's life.  Barris, the creator of Black-ish, Grown-ish, and Mixed-ish, now brings us the new Netflix series #BlackAF.  Although each of his previous shows have been creative and successful, Barris still brough new creative ideas to this latest series.  This show starring Kenya Barris, along with Rashida Jones, Gil Ozeri and many more, follows Barris's day to day life and covers parenting, business, and how fame, culture, race, and society all play into it. Don't expect anything normal about this show because it is absolutely unfiltered and  apologetically black. Diving into the perspective of a black wealthy family trying to fit into today's society, this show follows that family living their life the way that want to regardless of whether it is deemed the right way.  

I cannot stress enough, this show is for the culture. It targets the black family audiences as its primary viewers but still makes it enjoyable for everyone. Much like the "ish" shows #BlackAF follows the same style of writing and storytelling where it is both loaded with comedy and still presents an overall life message to take from it. Consider this a premium channel version of those projects, where the premium part sweetens all aspects.  Trust me, it gets ridiculously silly at times while still remaining very entertaining. Even the filming style--where the series is filmed like a parody of a reality show--adds to the overall comedy of the series.  This show wasn't afraid to take any chances and completely pulled back the curtains into the black family household.

The chemistry between Barris and Jones is flawless. At times I almost tend to forget they are not actually married.  Jones, who I consider to be a very underrated actress because of how excellent she is in taking roles and making it her own.  She is seamless as the spouse and mother in the family.  The kids involved in this project are also enjoyable and far more believable than I expected.  Frankly, it is surprising how they are able to truly capture their respective roles and captivate their audiences.  However, although the series already has an extensive cast, #BlackAF still manages to throw in a ton of cameos for your viewing enjoyment.  I enjoyed how this show provides a great balance of comedy and storytelling but takes the risk in being completely unfiltered, bold, and honest, revealing what it truly means to be #BlackAF.

Watch It.