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Black-ish - S4

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Show: Black-ish S4

Rating: 4/5

Available on: Vuzu Amp (DStv 103) and DStv Now

What we thought:

Black-ish is undeniably one of the best shows on TV right now. There are so many comedy shows around and Black-ish is one of those ones that took me by surprise. It's just so clever the way it uses comedy to address social issues.

Most half hour scripted, comedy shows tackle mundane, day-to-day issues but Black-ish is tackling the serious issues that people of colour are dealing with every day and making their viewers think. The show tackles things people tend to be uncomfortable talking about. Subjects broached include post-natal depression, racial and gender inequality, police brutality, white privilege, Trump winning the election and what that meant for America.

In an interview with Cheddar.com, Marcus Scribner (Andre Jr.) marks the success of the show up to not only the amazing cast, but also that they are "telling important stories that people are talking about every single day." 

The Trump episode, Lemon, was particularly well done. They captured the post-election grief and confusion while still being open to multiple viewpoints as to why people voted for Trump. The discussions they had surrounding it all were both hilarious and insightful. It might have been the only show on TV to tackle the public reaction to Trump's win so head on. 

The way they handled Rainbow's post-natal depression this season was both sensitive, informative and also funny. Usually when drama shows cover PND it tends to be over-dramatised and just used as a plot device. But Black-ish made PND the focus. It showed how hard it is on not only the mom, but also the family and how the older generation is dismissive of it.

It's rare that a show can present this kind of social commentary and make it accessible to the masses via comedy. It's also interesting to observe the generational differences between the grandparents, parents and children. The way Baby Boomers, Millenials and Generation Z all approach the same problem is fascinating. Especially the way Dre's parents parented him compared to how him and Bow handle their kids.

Black-ish is also changing the narrative around people of colour. Often they're portrayed as gangsters and drug dealers but Black-ish is turning it on the head. Black people have long been professionals and Black-ish is normalising this. Dre is an advertising executive, Rainbow is an anesthetist and Junior is a giant nerd. All things not usually associated with people of colour when they're portrayed on TV. 

Now Kenya Barris is not the only person highlighting the awesomeness of people of colour, Shonda Rhimes is of course the Queen of Drama, making Barris the King of Comedy. 

Catch Black-ish Thursdays at 19:00 on Vuzu Amp (DStv 103).

(Photo supplied: Vuzu Amp)

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