This Friday, Kenya Barris gets meta with his new Netflix original comedy, #blackAF.Barris, the Emmy-nominated creator of black-ish, stars as a fictionalized version of himself alongside Rashida Jones, who is not only an executive producer on the project, but also plays his wife, Joya.
Here’s the official logline for the series:
Loosely inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackAF flips the script on what we’ve come to expect a family comedy series to be. Pulling back the curtain, #blackAF uncovers the messy, unfiltered, and often hilarious world of 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.
While it does share some of the black-ish DNA, #blackAF is a more unfiltered look through Barris’ lens. In his first major acting role, he plays a successful producer, poking fun at himself and even his multi-million dollar Netflix deal. Joya (Jones) is a lawyer who has taken time off to be a stay-at-home mom to their six children — Drea (Iman Benson), Chloe (Genneya Walton), Izzy (Scarlet Spencer), Pops (Justin Claiborne), Cam (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), and Brooklyn (Richard Gardenhire Jr.) — but her parenting skills are constantly being called into question.
Tying it all together are interviews and monologues for a documentary being produced by their daughter, Drea, who is using the footage as part of her video application to NYU’s film school. Throughout the eight episodes, Drea is the voice of reason, and is often the most mature person in the room. In many ways, it’s less like black-ish and more like one part Curb Your Enthusiasm and one part The Office.
Hang out with the Barris family starting Friday, April 17th with the premiere of #blackAF on Netflix. And to watch Netflix shows tagged with comments from bloggers, superfans, show producers, and your friends, add Wiretap to Chrome. See their comments anytime – no scheduling needed.
Images and Video Courtesy of Netflix
