'Black-ish' finale: Johnson family says goodbye after 8 seasons
Over more than 175 episodes lasting eight seasons, "Black-ish" has made us laugh while confronting some of the most serious issues of our times --- such as police brutality, to use just one example.
The show won a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category for its storytelling, and the sitcom was nominated four times for an Emmy Award as Best Comedy.
It bows out with it place in TV history secure, and the show's finale will surely remind millions of the series' legacy.
"It's great to be a part of something that's moving the needle in the culture," star Anthony Anderson said.
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You may remember his character expressed the premise in the very first episode.
"I'm going to need my family to be Black, not Black-ish, but Black," patriarch Dre Johnson said.
And "Black-ish" has lived up to its original premise, says the guy who played Pops.
"One of the things we set out to do was to talk about some of the stuff that's hard to talk about," Laurence Fishburne said. "Particularly when it comes to race in America."
Now, determined not to overstay their welcome, the Johnson family is saying goodbye in a special episode.
"There is a lot of surprising moments and a lot of topics you wouldn't expect the Johnson home to even be talking about, but they do," said Marsai Martin who has played "Diane" from the beginning. "The ending is going to be very shocking to everyone."
We have watched Martin grow up onscreen opposite Miles Brown as her twin brother Jack, and as they got older, their storylines got more mature right along with them.
"It kind of was a real big conversation starter for me and my family," Brown said. "And to think that they could possibly happen for anyone else is just super important for me."
The show has given opportunities to others in front of, but also behind, the camera.
"When you came onto our sets, you see a kind of diversity that is rare to see in our industry," Fishburne said.
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The creator of the show, Kenya Barris, deserves special praise for taking inspiration from his own family and coming up with a TV landmark.
"We exceeded our expectations," Anderson told The Los Angeles Times. "We pushed the culture forward, and we didn't shy away from anything."
Shooting his final scene with Traces Ellis Ross as his onscreen wife, the actor confessed it was an emotional experience.
"The floodgates opened up for both of us," he said. "It really hit us both at that moment. This is it. And it was really heavy and really sad."
