Makers, as well as the stars of “Mixed-ish”, have decided against killing even a tiny amount of beans to tell a singular black and white story — but one that showcases and applauds all shades of grey.
The show’s runner Karin Gist confided to Variety at the PaleyFest Fall Previews panel for the fresh ABC comedy on Saturday and remarked about how important it was for her to cross the board and what value talking about identity and ” otherness” holds for her. “This is just an example of that i.e; an example of putting something up for everybody to talk about think about having conversations about through these characters that you fall in love with.” Said Gist.
Maria Carrey who performed the theme song of the show also had her own takes so as to why she got involved with the project in the first place.
“As a fan of Kenya Barris’ megahit shows, ‘and since I was fascinated by the ” blackish” and “growth” notion. I was motivated to connect with Kenya to find a way we could work as a team,” Carey explained. “As a biracial woman herself in the entertainment industry, there was no way I did not want to be a part of ‘mixed-ish,’ especially after seeing the pilot, which I loved. I could not be more honored and proud to be writing and performing ‘In the Mix’ for Kenya and the show.”
If you go by why ABC has reported, the series follows Rainbow Johnson as she recollects her time growing up in a mixed-race family in the ’80s and the hardships they face to acclimate the in the suburbs and pressure of simultaneously staying true to themselves.
Bow’s mother and father, Paul and Alicia, chose to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs so that they could set up a better economical and financial condition for their family. As her parents struggle with the challenges of their new life, Bow and her siblings try to find a way through mainstream school in which they’re taken as neither black nor white.
This family’s experiences enlighten the audience about the challenges of trying to establish one’s own identity when the rest of the world can’t really make out where you belong.
Mixed-ish features Tika Sumpter as Alicia Johnson, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Paul Johnson, Ethan William Childress as Johan Johnson, Mykal-Michelle Harris as Santamonica Johnson, Christina Anthony as Denise, Arica Himmel as Bow Johnson and Gary Cole as Harrison.
It is a production under the ABC Studios, while Pieter Saji, Karin Gist and Kenya Barris write and executive produce, joining hands with Tracee Randall Winston, Ellis Ross, Artists First (Brian Dobbins), Cinema Gypsy (Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland) and Anthony Anderson.
