The eldest members of the Johnson family are gearing up for the spotlight.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is developing old-ish, a new spinoff from black-ish creator Kenya Barris. It's set to star Jenifer Lewis and Laurence Fishburne as Ruby and Earl "Pops" Johnson, mom and dad to Anthony Anderson's Dre.
In the series, which Barris will write and executive produce, Ruby and Pops will move to a rapidly changing (read: gentrifying) neighborhood in Los Angeles and give their love a second chance. They're also expected to meet characters from their past and new ones from said neighborhood.
Of course, Lewis and Fishburne know these characters like the back of their hands considering they've played them since black-ish premiered in 2014. As THR reported, producers will also include Lewis, Fishburne, Anderson, and E. Brian Dobbins. Additionally, the new show will mark a return to ABC for Barris, who signed a three-year development deal with Netflix back in 2018.
Lucky for Johnson family fanatics, old-ish also marks the third installment from the Emmy-nominated flagship series. As viewers might recall, black-ish spinoffs include grown-ish, which stars Yara Shahidi as a college-aged Zoey, plus mixed-ish, which stars Arica Himmel as a younger version of Tracee Ellis Ross' Rainbow.
The flagship series and its spinoffs have successfully tackled social justice matters and race relations in America, and we expect old-ish to follow suit.
Though season seven of black-ish was initially set for a mid-season fall premiere, ABC bumped it up to a traditional fall launch after reconsidering the forthcoming season's storylines—and how they'll impact viewers. (A premiere date has not yet been announced).
"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," ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said in a statement in June. "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."
Burke continued, "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."
For old-ish, the bar has officially been set pretty high.