Mixed-ish explained

Genre:	Period sitcom
Narrated:	Tracee Ellis Ross
Opentheme:	"In the Mix" by Mariah Carey, Moroccan and Monroe Cannon
Music:	Daniel Moore
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	2
Num Episodes:	36
Camera:	Single-camera
Runtime:	22 minutes
Network:	ABC
Related:	Black-ish

Mixed-ish (stylized as ish) is an American single-camera sitcom created by Kenya Barris, Peter Saji and Tracee Ellis Ross that aired on ABC from September 24, 2019, to May 18, 2021. The series is a prequel to Black-ish, and the second series to be spun off from the parent series after the Freeform series Grown-ish. In May 2020, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 26, 2021. In May 2021, the series was canceled after two seasons.

Premise

Loosely based on the early life of Dr. Rania Barris (co-creator Kenya Barris' ex-wife),^[1] Mixed-ish chronicles Rainbow Johnson's childhood years as she recounts her experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the 1980s. The family faces dilemmas over whether to assimilate or stay true to themselves when Rainbow's parents move from a hippie commune to the suburbs in 1985.^[2]

Cast

Main

• Tika Sumpter as Alicia Johnson, Bow's mother who works hard as a lawyer at her father-in-law's practice and helps Bow embrace her African-American heritage.
• Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Paul Johnson, Bow's father. Paul is a stay-at-home white dad and is always there for the family. In season 2 he starts working as a teacher.^[3]
• Christina Anthony as Denise, Bow's maternal aunt; Alicia's sister. A very-loving woman from Tennessee who is not afraid to express her African-American heritage (since her idea of culture is "influenced" by 227 and Eddie Murphy), even though she tends to be stereotypical towards the family's biracial culture.
• Arica Himmel as Rainbow Sojourner "Bow" Johnson, a 12-year-old preteen who is coming into her own while embracing her biracial heritage.^[4]
  • Tracee Ellis Ross as adult Rainbow Johnson (narration), who details her background and actual real-life events in each episode.
• Ethan William Childress as Johan Johnson, Rainbow's younger brother, who has started to adopt a street culture and muscular attitude.
  • Daveed Diggs as adult Johan Johnson (in fast-forward clips)
• Mykal-Michelle Harris as Santamonica Elizabeth Johnson, the youngest member of the Johnson family, the second and last daughter of Alicia and Paul, the niece of Denise, and the granddaughter of Harrison. Santamonica is nicknamed ‘Santi’ by her family, and was born on April 4, 1980. She’s sweet yet sarcastic, sassy, and cocky. She’s used to being the cool one, and likes to be the center of attention. She’s depicted as vain and stuck-up, thinking she’s better than everyone. She has a liking for bugging her older sister, Rainbow. When they first arrived from the commune, she became a Madonna lover. She considers herself the most important in her family, and is overconfident. At the beginning of Mixed•ish, she’s 5 years old and at the end, she’s 7 years old. She likes to cause trouble, and even makes fun of her family, but makes up for it in the end. At the start of the series, she’s more bratty and childish, (ex. Calling her mother ‘Mommy’, telling on Rainbow a lot) but at the end, she’s more snarky with a dry sense of humor now that she’s a bit older. In the fan base, she’s one of the more unliked characters because of her personality, but also still loved because of Mykal-Michelle’s comedic delivery of Santamonica’s sassy quips. She’s also fashionable, dressing in popular '80s' clothing. She teases Rainbow by calling her things like ‘nerd’ but truly cares about her.
  • Rashida Jones as adult Santamonica Johnson (in fast-forward clips)
• Gary Cole as Harrison Johnson III, Bow's paternal grandfather; Paul's father. He died in 2007.

Recurring

• Paulet Del Castillo as Michaela
• Caitlin Kimball as Ms. Collins
• Trinitee Stokes as Tamika
• Isabel Myers as Rebecca
• Luca Luhan as Bryce

Guest

• Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson, Bow's future husband ("Becoming Bow", "Doctor! Doctor!", "Forever Young")
• Marcus Scribner as Andre "Junior" Johnson, Bow's future oldest son ("Becoming Bow")
• Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Bow's future second oldest son ("Becoming Bow")
• Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson, Bow's future youngest daughter ("Becoming Bow")
• August and Berlin Gross as Devante Johnson, Bow's future youngest son ("Becoming Bow")
• Blake Anderson as Shaman Dave ("Becoming Bow")
• Dallas Young as Rodney ("Let Your Hair Down")
• Leiloni Arrie Pharms as Young Denise ("Love Is a Battlefield")
• Daria Johns as Shanice ("It's Tricky")
• Carolyne Maraghi as Wendy Whiteman ("Weird Science")
• Wayne Brady as Geoffrey, a geologist and Denise's boyfriend ("Every Little Step")

Episodes

Season 2 (2021)

Development

On May 2, 2019, it was announced that the Black-ish episode that was set to air May 7, 2019, would be shelved. The episode, titled "Becoming Bow", introduces a younger version of the character Rainbow living with her family, and will instead serve as the pilot episode for the new series, with the cast of the parent show appearing in a flash-forward cameo introduction.^{[5] [2]} On May 14, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere in the Fall of 2019 and air on Tuesdays at 9:00 P.M.^[6] The series premiered on September 24, 2019.^[7]

Tracee Ellis Ross, who plays the adult Bow in Black-ish, will serve as both an executive producer and narrator for the series, with flagship costars Anthony Anderson and Laurence Fishburne also executive producing.^[8] Mixed-ish is the final series that Barris helped create prior to signing his deal with Netflix in August 2018. Barris had asked for an exit from his ABC Studios deal because of the studio's handling of controversial Black-ish episodes and of rejected pilots he had helped put together.^{[9] [10]}

Anders Holm was originally set to play Bow's father, Paul Jackson, and played the role in the series’ pilot episode, but he left the series before it was picked up by ABC.^{[11] [12]} On June 19, 2019, Mark-Paul Gosselaar replaced Holm in the Paul Jackson role, and scenes with Holm in the "Becoming Bow" episode-turned-pilot were subsequently reshot with Gosselaar.^[13]

In the promos, the family is called "the Johnsons" (the same surname as Bow's family on Black-ish), even though the surname of the characters Harrison and Paul is Jackson, which implies that Bow's maternal family still uses the name Johnson. This was brought up during the Black-ish second season episode "Johnson & Johnson," in which Dre learns that Bow never formally took his last name after their marriage. In addition, the episodes listed are named after songs, television shows, and movies that were made during the 1980s.

On October 28, 2019, the series received a full season order of 23 episodes.^[14]

On May 21, 2020, ABC renewed the series for a second season which premiered on January 26, 2021.^{[15] [16]} On May 14, 2021, ABC canceled the series after two seasons.^[17]

Release

Marketing

On May 14, 2019, ABC released the first official trailer for the series.^[18]

Music

On August 5, 2019, singer-songwriter Mariah Carey confirmed that she recorded the series' theme song, entitled "In the Mix."^[19] The song was written and produced by Carey and songwriter-producer Daniel Moore and reached number nine on the Billboard U.S. R&B Digital Song Sales chart.^[20]

During a panel discussion with Barris and Carey, Barris explained that he wants Carey to appear as a guest on the show.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Mixed-ish holds an approval rating of 76% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While it needs more time to establish its own comedic voice, mixed-ish and its appealing cast are off to a sweet and smart start."^[21] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[22]

Ratings

Season 2

Notes and References

1. Web site: Black-ish Creator Kenya Barris Files For Divorce From Wife — And Inspo Behind "Rainbow" — After 20 Years Together. Uwumarogie. Victoria. August 12, 2019. September 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914023516/https://madamenoire.com/1091534/kenya-barris-wife-divorce/. September 14, 2019. live .
2. Web site: 'Black-ish' Renewed for Season 6 as Spinoff 'Mixed-ish' a Go at ABC. Goldberg. Lesley. The Hollywood Reporter. May 2, 2019. May 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190504103937/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-ish-renewed-season-6-as-spinoff-mixed-ish-a-go-at-abc-1207046. May 4, 2019. live.
3. Web site: Pennacchio. George. January 27, 2021. ABC's 'Mixed-ish' returns for season 2 with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tika Sumpter teaching their TV kids about family history, heritage. January 27, 2021. ABC7 Los Angeles. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723051600/https://abc7.com/10045172/. July 23, 2021. live.
4. Web site: ""black-ish" Spinoff "mixed-ish" Coming TUESDAYS 9/8c to ABC This Fall". Dove. Steve. ABC.com. May 14, 2019. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190515022921/https://abc.go.com/shows/abc-new-shows/news/shows/blackish-spinoff-mixedish-coming-to-abc/. May 15, 2019. live.
5. Web site: black-ish Spinoff mixed-ish Centered on Young Bow Ordered to Series at ABC. Ausiello. Michael. TVLine. May 2, 2019. May 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190506202655/https://tvline.com/2019/05/02/mixed-ish-spinoff-black-ish-abc-series-order/. May 6, 2019. live.
6. Web site: ABC Fall 2019-20 Schedule: Very Few Changes, 'The Rookie' Moves To Sunday, 'American Housewife' To Friday. Nellie. Andreeva. Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2019. May 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514154059/https://deadline.com/2019/05/abc-fall-2019-20-schedule-upfronts-new-shows-the-rookie-mixed-ish-emergence-cobie-smulders-1202614248/. May 14, 2019. live.
7. Web site: ABC Fall Premiere Dates: 'The Conners', 'Black-ish' & Spinoff, Cobie Smulders' 'Stumptown', Final 'Modern Family' Season & More. Deadline Hollywood. Erik. Pedersen. July 2, 2019. July 2, 2019. April 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200408205934/https://deadline.com/2019/07/abc-fall-premiere-dates-2019-1202641119/. live.
8. Web site: "Spinoff of ABC's 'Black-ish' to Focus on Mixed-Race Issues". The Chicago Tribune. May 3, 2019. May 16, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190519220407/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-mixed-ish-abc-black-ish-spinoff-20190503-story.html. May 19, 2019. dead.
9. Web site: Kenya Barris Inks Three-Year, Eight-Figure Netflix TV Deal. Goldberg. Lesley. The Hollywood Reporter. August 16, 2018. May 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510150630/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/kenya-barris-inks-eight-figure-netflix-tv-deal-1130574. May 10, 2019. live.
10. Web site: Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones to Star in Netflix Family Comedy Series 'Black Excellence'. Goldberg. Lesley. The Hollywood Reporter. May 10, 2019. May 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510201633/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/kenya-barris-rashida-jones-star-netflix-family-comedy-series-black-excellence-1209462. May 10, 2019. live.
11. Web site: Anders Holm Steps Away from 'Black-ish' Spinoff. Barnes. Stephanie. May 12, 2019. Inquisitr. May 15, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190515031641/https://www.inquisitr.com/5434665/anders-holm-steps-away-from-black-ish-spinoff/. May 15, 2019. dead.
12. Web site: 'Mixed-ish' To Recast A Lead As Anders Holm Exits 'Black-ish' Spinoff. Nellie. Andreeva. May 10, 2019. May 15, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514201731/https://deadline.com/2019/05/mixed-ish-recasting-anders-holm-replaced-exit-black-ish-spinoff-1202611786/. May 14, 2019. live.
13. Web site: 'Mixed-ish' at ABC Adds Mark-Paul Gosselaar in Recasting. Otterson. Joe. Variety. June 19, 2019. June 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190620130449/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/mixed-ish-abc-mark-paul-gosselaar-in-recasting-1203248345/. June 20, 2019. live.
14. Web site: 'Mixed-Ish', 'Stumptown' & 'The Rookie' Get Back Orders By ABC, 'Emergence' Remains In Renewal Contention. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. October 28, 2019. October 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191028192526/https://deadline.com/2019/10/mixed-ish-stumptown-the-rookie-back-orders-abc-emergence-remains-renewal-contention-bless-this-mess-1202770143/. October 28, 2019. live.
15. Web site: ABC Renews 13 Series, Including Freshmen 'Stumptown' & 'Mixed-ish', For 2020-21 Season. Deadline Hollywood. Peter. White. May 21, 2020. May 21, 2020. May 21, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200521211124/https://deadline.com/2020/05/abc-renewals-stumptown-mixed-ish-2020-21-season-a-million-little-things-the-conners-the-goldbergs-the-rookie-the-bachelor-dancing-with-the-stars-renewed-1202940807/. live.
16. Web site: ABC Sets 2021 Scripted Series Premiere Dates; 'The Rookie' & 'Call Your Mother' Join Schedule, 'Grey's'-Led Thursday Returns In March, 'Black-ish' Back On Tuesday. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. November 19, 2020. November 19, 2020. November 19, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201119190303/https://deadline.com/2020/11/abc-2021-premiere-dates-the-rookie-call-your-mother-black-ish-greys-anatomy-the-good-doctor-1234618742/. live.
17. Web site: 'Mixed-ish' Canceled By ABC After Two Seasons. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. Peter. White. May 14, 2021. May 14, 2021. May 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514213538/https://deadline.com/2021/05/mixed-ish-abc-blackish-spinoff-canceled-1234754274/. live.
18. Web site: ABC New Series Trailers: Cobie Smulders' 'Stumptown', 'Emergence', 'Black-ish' Spinoff 'Mixed-ish'. Petski. Denise. Deadline Hollywood. May 14, 2019. May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514211553/https://deadline.com/video/abc-new-series-trailers-cobie-smulders-stumptown-emergence-blackish-spinoff-mixed-ish/. May 14, 2019. live.
19. Web site: Mariah Carey Writes, Performs 'Mixed-Ish' Theme Song For ABC – TCA. Petski. Denise. August 5, 2019. August 10, 2019. Deadline Hollywood. https://web.archive.org/web/20190805160705/https://deadline.com/2019/08/mariah-carey-writes-performs-mixed-ish-theme-song-for-abc-tca-1202661215/. August 5, 2019.
20. R&B Digital Song Sales. Billboard. November 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190926195323/https://www.billboard.com/music/mariah-carey/chart-history/r-b-digital-song-sales. September 26, 2019. live.
21. Web site: Mixed-ish: Season 1 (2019) . Rotten Tomatoes . September 25, 2021.
22. Web site: Mixed-ish: Season 1 . Metacritic . October 22, 2019.