Premiered: September 24, 2019

On: ABC

Starring: Arica Himmel, Tika Sumpter, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gary Cole, Christina Anthony, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Ethan William Childress, Paulet Del Castillo, Caitlin Kimball, Trinitee Stokes, Isabel Myers, Luca Luhan, Rashida Jones, Daveed Diggs & Tracee Ellis Ross

In this black-ish prequel, we discover more about the early life of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow. It’s cute, but it’s clear this show is nowhere near the standard of its source material.

When Alicia and Paul Johnson (Tika Sumpter & Mark-Paul Gosselaar) move their family back to the suburbs from the hippie commune, their kids Rainbow (Arica Himmel), Santamonica (Mykal-Michelle Harris) and Johan (Ethan William Childress) experience what it’s like to be mixed children in the 1980s.

When it comes to writing, there are too many times where you can tell how hard the writers are trying to be funny, which messes up the flow.

Awkwardly, Sumpter is noticeably much darker than Anna Deavere Smith (who plays the older version on black-ish) and none of the child actors have come into their own yet.

Final say: Mixed feelings. ★★☆☆☆