Right from the start, we knew black-ish was special. It showed a real Black family dealing with real world issues, but did it with a very unique brand of humor. Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross lead the way as parents Dre and Bow, with a talented group of young actors as their children Zoey, Junior, Jack and Diane. TV favorites Laurence Fishburne and Jenifer Lewis round out the family, who would become as familiar as our own relatives.
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black-ish is at its best when it’s tackling important issues, and using comedy to make them relatable. We’ve seen the show do it over and over with police violence, colorism, the n-word and postpartum depression. As black-ish begins the end of its run, let’s take a moment and honor a ground-breaking series with the 10 best episodes.
“Pops’ Pops’ Pops’” S1 Ep 24
As funny as black-ish’s first season was, it didn’t hit the series’ true stride until the season finale. Pops tells the kids the story of his grandfather meeting his grandmother during the Harlem Renaissance. The family plays all the roles in the flashbacks, alongside guest stars Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mary J. Blige. It sets up what we can expect from the next seven seasons as the show combines the ridiculous with sweet messages. And we get to hear Mary J. sing “I’m Going Down,” and that’s always a bonus.
“The Word” S2 Ep 1
black-ish excels at mixing humor with tough topics. No episode showcases this better than the Season 2 opener “The Word.” When Jack performs to Kanye’s “Gold Digger” and says the n-word, he gets in major trouble at school, and it causes uncomfortable, necessary conversations about the word. Some of those discussions at Dre’s job get hysterically funny, yet still have impact. Deon Cole steals the show. This is the perfect example of a show finding its tone in Season 2.
“Hope” S2 Ep 16
As police violence against Black people became a front page issue, black-ish once again used comedy to explain the anger and frustration of protests in the best way possible. As the family gathers to watch the decision in the indictment of a police officer, everyone offers their opinions on what the root of the problem really is. Bow and Dre also have to figure out how to explain such a difficult situation to the twins, while helping Junior and Zoey through their emotions. It’s a beautifully layered, authentic episode.
“Lemons” S3 Ep 12
In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election everyone was overflowing with an emotional reaction. However, Black people never have time to dwell on the horrible things that continually happen to us. Anthony Anderson is at his best when a fed up Dre breaks down this country’s history for his white co-workers. It is one of Anderson’s best performances of the series, and makes us once again wonder why in seven seasons he’s never won an Emmy. We also get the unexpected genius of Zoey just wanting to put all the misery aside and focus on making lemonade.
“Bow Knows” S4 Ep 12
One of the truly amazing legacies of black-ish is how it made topics that only Black families discussed, mainstream topics. In “Bow Knows,” Dre wants to incorporate the talk about racism into an ad campaign, but his co-workers don’t understand why it’s so important to him. However, once Dre recognizes his own blindspots, he realizes that every family has some form of “the talk,” and he just needs to relate to that. We’re sure this episode opened plenty of eyes about “the talk.”
“Purple Rain” S5 Ep 4
Prince is more than a legend, his music is the soundtrack to people’s lives. Losing him so suddenly was heartbreaking to his fans. The show’s tribute episode was beautiful in how it highlighted how Prince’s music affected each character in completely different ways. It also gave the talented cast a chance to show off new sides to themselves, and unapologetically explore their personalities the way Prince always did.
“Black Like Us” S5 Ep 10
Colorism isn’t an issue that’s always been openly discussed in the Black community. It’s only in recent years that it’s been so acceptable to be honest about discrimination in the culture. Diane is a character who tends to keep her own counsel, so for her to get so emotional about her family’s lack of understanding about what it’s like for her to be the dark-skinned kid in class was unexpected and amazing character development. As she’s gotten older, Marsai Martin has been given the freedom to let Diane be more than one-liners and angry looks, and it’s to the benefit of the show. Martin shines as she speaks for young women who may not be allowed to be so open about their hurt feelings.
“Feminisn’t” S6 Ep 3
When ABC announced it was doing reunion week, where current stars reunited with old co-stars, our first thought was would any of the Girlfriends show up on black-ish? Our wish was granted when all of Tracee Ellis Ross’ former castmates guest starred as her college friends. It was like no time passed, and we were hanging out with our girls again. It was a lovely gift for fans who are still mad about the show never getting a proper finale.
“Hair Day” S6 Ep 11
Ask any Black woman about her relationship with her hair, and it’s a long tale of ups and downs, starts and stops, rejection and acceptance. Diane finds herself on the same winding road when she decides to stop relaxing her hair and go natural/ A trip to the salon results in a stressful realization that this story will never be over. She just has to figure out what’s comfortable for her and be ok with it, while also realizing she can change whenever she wants. And, Jill Scott does a whole production number about Black hair.
“Election Special” S7 Ep 1 & 2
The show used the divisive 2020 election cycle to be educational and funny, as it went animated to explain the real pitfalls of politics, Stacey Abrams guest starred. In the midst of election craziness, this two-parter opened the season with a hilarious deep dive into voting rights, PACs and voter purges. It’s such a smart episode, highlighting how clever black-ish is at simultaneously informing and entertaining its audience.
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