''#blackAF'' is an American sitcom created by

Kenya Barris Kenya Barris (born August 9, 1973) is an American film and television writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom ''black-ish'' (2014–2022). Early life Barris was born in Inglewood, California, th ...

. It premiered on Netflix on April 17, 2020. The title derives from Internet slang, where " AF" is a term of emphasis, meaning " as fuck". In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season. A year later, the renewal decision was reversed and the series was canceled after one season.

Premise

The series stars Barris as a fictionalized version of himself. The official synopsis reads: "''#blackAF'' uncovers the messy, unfiltered, and often hilarious world of what it means to be a '

new money ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

' black family trying to 'get it right' in a modern world where 'right' is no longer a fixed concept."

Cast

Main

* Rashida Jones as Joya Barris *

as Kenya Barris * Iman Benson as Drea Barris *

Genneya Walton Genneya Walton (born February 22, 1999) is an American actress. She is known for playing Bryden Bandweth in '' Project Mc2'', and Chloe Barris in ''BlackAF''. Early life and career Genneya Walton was born in Chicago, Illinois. She started her ca ...

as Chloe Barris * Scarlet Spencer as Izzy Barris * Justin Claiborne as Pops Barris * Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Kam Barris

Recurring

* Richard Gardenhire Jr. as Brooklyn Barris *

Gil Ozeri Gil Ozeri is an American comedian, actor, and writer, best known for his work writing for '' Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', '' Big Mouth'', and '' Happy Endings''. Career Ozeri started his comedy career with the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York, and ...

as Danny *

Bumper Robinson Larry C. "Bumper" Robinson II is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Bumblebee and Blitzwing on '' Transformers: Animated'', Falcon on '' Avengers Assemble'' and Cyborg in '' Justice League: Doom''. Career R ...

as Broadway * Nia Long as Lavette *

Angela Kinsey Angela Faye Kinsey (born June 25, 1971) is an American actress. She played Angela Martin in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013) and appeared in the sitcoms '' Your Family or Mine'' (2015) and ''Haters Back Off'' (2016–2017). Since ''The ...

as Leeza * Doug Hall as Marquise Ava DuVernay, Will Packer, Tyler Perry,

Issa Rae Jo-Issa Rae Diop (born January 12, 1985), credited professionally as Issa Rae, is an American actress, writer, producer, and comedian. Rae first garnered attention for her work on the YouTube web series ''Awkward Black Girl''. Since 2011, Rae h ...

, Tim Story, Scooter Braun, Lena Waithe, Jay Rock and Steven Levitan made appearances as themselves in the series.

Episodes

Production

Development

Netflix ordered ''#blackAF'' (originally titled ''Black Excellence'') as the first series under Barris' deal with them. Announcing the production of the show, Netflix said, "Inspired by Barris' irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, ''Black Excellence'' looks to pull the curtain back and reboot the 'family sitcom' in a way we've never seen before." On June 23, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. A year later, on June 23, 2021, the renewal decision was reversed and the series was canceled after one season, but may return as a standalone film franchise.

Casting

On May 10, 2019,

and Rashida Jones were cast in starring roles. On December 20, 2019, Genneya Walton, Iman Benson, Scarlet Spencer, Justin Claiborn, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Richard Gardenhire Jr. were announced as additional cast members.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 46% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 6.97/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Solid one-liners and some sharp social critiques can't save ''#blackaf'' from feeling more like a stale retread than a fresh step forward for creator Kenya Barris." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:BlackAF 2020 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2020s American black sitcoms 2020s American single-camera sitcoms English-language Netflix original programming Television series about families Works about race and ethnicity