Source: Netflix / Netflix
Late last year, we wrote about the new Kenya Barris project coming to Netflix. At the time, the show, starring Barris and Rashida Jones, was titled “Black Excellence.” When Netflix’s Strong Black Lead Twitter account shared the image, people noticed that the cast was primarily light complected. And given Barris’ other shows, including “black-ish” “grown-ish” and “mixed-ish,” people were starting to wonder if Barris had an issue with colorism.
That was a few months ago. And a lot has happened since then. But the show, now called “Black AF” has resurfaced as a form of conversation. Recently, Netflix shared the trailer for the series and after people watched it, they had quite a bit to say.
First, check out the trailer below.
It begins with Barris speaking to several Black creatives on video chat. He takes a couple of jabs at Will Packer’s Night School and Tim Story’s Ride Along 2. Then it launches into the trailer. The first person we see is a Brown skinned daughter explaining to the audience that she’s making a documentary about her family.
As we reported before, the show is about what it means to be a “’new money’ Black family trying to get it right in a modern world where ‘right’ is no longer a fixed concept.”
From the trailer, it seems like it’s giving us an “Office,” “Modern Family” type of vibe. Also, there are a couple of similarities between this new project and “black-ish.” The father is pro-Black, references slavery often, likes to stunt, has more than the standard 2.5 kids, and is married to a biracial woman.
It’s a little hackneyed. From the trailer though, it does seem like there was some effort put forth in presenting Black people of various hues. We’ll see. Personally, I’d be lying if I told you I’d pass up the opportunity to watch rich Black people check White folks on their privilege and racism. I’ll definitely be giving it a chance.
The show will premiere on Netflix April 17. Since there was already chatter about this project last year, people were ready to jump back in to discuss. The opinions were varied. See what folks had to say on the following pages.
