ABC has put “black-ish” back on its fall schedule, having previously earmarked Season 7 of the comedy for midseason. The fairly unprecedented move comes less than 24 hours after ABC announced its fall schedule.
The Kenya Barris-created series will air Wednesdays at 9:30/8:30c, leading out of “The Conners.” In turn, Kyra Sedgwick’s “Call Your Mother” comedy has been pushed to midseason.
Explaining the switcheroo, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said in a statement, “’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. 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,” Burke added, “and there is no other show that does that like ‘black-ish.’”
“We are incredibly grateful to Karey, Dana [Walden] and Peter [Rice] for recognizing the importance of ‘black-ish’ in this moment and applaud them for making the necessary shifts to bring the show back as soon as possible,” said Barris. “While the last few months have felt overwhelming at times, they have also underscored just how important it is that Black voices are not only heard but empowered and amplified as well; and our entire ‘black-ish’ team is humbled to be a small part of telling our stories and are excited to get back to these conversations.”