Back in 2018, Black-ish shot an episode that was so controversial, ABC refused to air it. Now, two years, it is finally seeing the light of day, I mean, the light of TV screens. That is because Executive Producer Kenya Barris convinced Hulu to stream it.
In November 2017, we made an episode of “black-ish” entitled “Please, Baby, Please.” We were one year post-election and coming to the end of a year that left us, like many Americans, grappling with the state of our country and anxious about its future. Those feelings poured onto the page, becoming 22 minutes of television that I was, and still am, incredibly proud of. “Please, Baby, Please” didn’t make it to air that season and, while much has been speculated about its contents, the episode has never been seen publicly… until now.
I’m excited to share that “Please, Baby, Please” is now available on Hulu. Following the re-airing of “Juneteenth” and “Hope;’ I asked Walt Disney Television to revisit making the episode available. Recognizing the importance of this moment, they listened and agreed.
I cannot wait for everyone to finally see the episode for themselves and, as was the case nearly three years ago, we hope it inspires some much-needed conversation — not only about what we were grappling with then or how it led to where we are now, but conversations about where we want our country to go moving forward and, most importantly, how we get there together.
Thank you to ABC Entertainment for allowing this moment to happen. And thank you to the entire “black-ish” family for never shying away from tough conversations, making telling stories like this possible. – Kenya Barris
The episode was reportedly pulled because Dre (Anthony Anderson) and his oldest son Junior (Marcus Scribner) discussed kneeling at football games. However, that is barely a blip in the episode.
It is a rainy night, and Dre’s baby son can’t sleep because of the scary noises. Therefore, the dad soothes the infant to sleep by telling him the story of Donald Trump’s first year in office. One by one, the rest of his children (minus the oldest who is in college) join him and Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) in bed and they discuss what the last year has been like.
It is such a powerful episode that it winds up being more relevant in 2020 than it was then. I think it is better that it was held until now than if it aired in February 2018. In fact, I think everyone, whether a fan of the show or not, should watch it.
It is amazing with all of the sh!t that Trump has done since then, the emotions are still the same. As much as Trump as tried to extinguish Barack Obama’s light, he hasn’t been able to do it.
There are episodes that live on in infamy because of the topics they covered. This is one of those episodes. Therefore, I am telling you to watch it. Especially, since we are getting ready to vote in less than three months.
Yesterday, ABC announced their fall lineup and black-ish was missing from their schedule. Today, they sent out a press release to announce that the sitcom is back on it.
“’black-ish’ has a long-standing history of shining a light on current events and honoring Black voices through the lens of the Johnson family,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment. “After speaking with Kenya and our creative partners, we decided it was important to tell these meaningful stories during this moment in time, so we are adjusting our premiere schedule and are committed to doing whatever it takes to bring this series back as soon as we possibly can. Following recent monumental events, it’s imperative that the dialogue continues and empowers viewers to raise their voices, and there is no other show that does that like ‘black-ish.’”
I could not understand how ABC could leave their premiere show about African-Americans off of the fall schedule during this time when Black voices are being heard and need to continue to be heard.
ABC did the right thing. I just wish they would stop messing with American Housewife. In order to fit black-ish back on Wednesday nights, they gave it the slot that was supposed to belong to AH. So now black-ish airs at 8:30p, AH at 9:30p, and Call Your Mother goes to midseason.
With all of this being said, Anthony Anderson’s mom Doris can release whoever she was holding hostage until they brought back her son’s show. And if his TV mom Jenifer Lewis was helping out, then ABC never had a chance.
Several shows and movies from yesteryear are staging online reunions during the coronavirus pandemic, and Jimmy Kimmel wanted to do one on his show. Therefore, last night the ABC late night host decided to have a surprise one with his guest Anthony Anderson.
Are we going to get a Hang Time reunion? Sadly, nope. It was Anderson’s second-best project, Kangaroo Jack. That is right, Kimmel arranged for Jerry O’Connell and Kangaroo Jack, himself, to surprise their co-star.
Seeing the three of them Zooming together, proves that we desperately need a sequel to the 2003 comedy.
Although, I would prefer that O’Connell did one for Joe’s Apartment first. Sorry Anthony, but it was even more of a high-larious film.
Tonight at 9p, Anthony Anderson and his black-ish daughter Marsai Martin go head to head, I mean brain to brain, on Nat Geo’s Brain Games. Did you know there are things our brains are better at when we are kids than when we are adults and vice versa? Anderson, who does not like to lose, and Martin, find that out first hand. Only one of them will be victorious. However, it is not their ability that will help them to win. It is their age.
Above, you can watch the first challenge. Children have a faster response time than adults, as you will see when Anderson loses more than just the round. After each challenge, the show’s host Keegan-Michael Key will explain why that is.
There are other challenges on tonight’s episode. We have all heard that kids can learn languages faster than adults, so the show puts that to the test. Both stars learn new words for things they already know, and then are tested to see who soaked up the new information better.
That is a learning thing, but who is better at balancing, hearing, and not being tricked by what you read as compared to what you see? What does that mean? You will have to tune in for Anderson’s craziest moments during the episode.
There is one final round for the two. Who is a bigger risk-takers, the teenager or the man with a Peter Pan complex? Could this be the round that defies science?
On the science note, I enjoy watching the chemistry between Anderson and Martin. She seemed more like the adult of the two, which made me laugh. I am certain it will do the same for you.
Even though, it sounds like I might be knocking Anderson, I adore his youthful personality. It is why he has always stood out to me since Hang Time. Talk about taking it back old school.
Now, that I know some of the things I am better at than a child. I cannot wait to test it out on my 10-year-old niece.
When it comes to the show in general, even though it is in its 8th season, it is new to me. I plan on watching it again. I like learning new things like this. However, since I am older, I might have to watch each episode a few times to really absorb all of that information. You know, since they say the older you get, the harder it is to learn.
