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Meet the Mixed-ish Family: Everything You Need to Know About Black-ish's Latest Spinoff

Exclusive! Find out how Bow Johnson turned into the character she is today in the new ABC comedy

By Chris Harnick Sep 24, 2019 5:02 PMTags

There's a new ish on the block. Premiering Tuesday, Sept. 24, mixed-ish tells the story of Rainbow Johnson before she was Dr. ‘Bow Johnson. The series, narrated and produced by black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross, is set in the 1980s and fits right in with its predecessor.

"Like black-ish, we're going to hit on some tough subjects for some people, and for other people I think when they see an episode, they're going to breathe a sigh of relief and say, ‘I'm so glad they finally talked about it,'" Christina Anthony, Aunt Denise on the series, says in the exclusive preview above.

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Also starring Arica Himmel, Gary Cole, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tika Sumpter, Ethan Childress and Mykal-Michelle Harris, mixed-ish follows the Johnsons—including kids Raninbow, Jonah and Santamonica—as they head from a commune to the suburbs and experience middle class life for the first time. Expect fish out of water tales, as well as topical stories.

"I hope when audiences watch the show, they see that no matter what you look like, no matter who you are, your identity is unique, and it matters to the world," Himmel says.

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In an interview at the 2019 Television Critics Association, Sumpter and Gosselaar opened up about their time traveling back to the 1980s for the series.

"We've been saying, it's its own singular show. Yes, it's following Rainbow, it's her journey, but it's really following this family. You don't have to watch black-ish, you don't have to watch any of the other spinoffs in order to follow this family," Sumpter said.

Click play on the video above to hear how Sumpter geeked out over Gosselaar's time on Saved By the Bell and whether they'd do well in commune life.

Mixed-ish premieres Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. on ABC.