ABC renews 'black-ish' for 8th and final season

LOS ANGELES -- 'black-ish' has been renewed for an eighth and final season, ABC announced Friday.

The series follows Anthony Anderson's character Andre "Dre" Johnson as he establishes a sense of cultural identity for his family. It often focuses on current events, with recent episodes addressing the pandemic, voting rights and social justice.

The current season also stars Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson, Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, Marcus Scribner as Andre Johnson Jr., Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson, Laurence Fishburne as Pops, Jenifer Lewis as Ruby, Peter Mackenzie as Mr. Stevens, Deon Cole as Charlie Telphy and Jeff Meacham as Josh.

"In this day and age it is rare to get to decide when your show should come to an end, and we are grateful along with ABC to be able to make this final season exactly what we'd hoped for - and to do it with the entire and AMAZINGLY STELLAR cast coming back to close this chapter out with us the right way!" series creator Kenya Barris wrote in an Instagram post after the renewal was announced.

Barris added: "This show has changed my life in so many ways and I am so proud of the conversations we've started along the way. None of this would have been possible without our audience and supporters, who have championed the show every step of the journey; allowing us to change not just the narrative of Black Families, but of Family, Culture, and the World in general."

Since its 2014 premiere, "black-ish" has earned Emmy, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Awards. The series has spawned two spinoffs: "grown-ish" on Freeform and "mixed-ish" on ABC.

The current season's finale will air on Tuesday, May 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT | 8 p.m. CT and will include an appearance by Boyz II Men.