Grown-ish (♦♦♦◊◊)

Grown-ish is a comedy series that airs at 8/7 central on Wednesdays on Freeform and Hulu. The show is a spin-off to the ABC sitcom Black-ish and is rated for 15 and older for mild profanity and adult situations.

The spin-off takes place in California where Yara Shahidi (Black-ish, The First Family) stars as Zoey Johnson, the eldest daughter of the Johnson family, who begins her first year at college. During the first season, she forms new friendships with other students and struggles to live life at the university without support from her family.

The series was created by Kenya Barris (Black-ish, America’s Next Top Model) and Larry Wilmore (Black-ish, Insecure) who both wanted Shahidi to have a show of her own.

Other actors of the series include contemporary R&B duo Chloe and Halle, Deon Cole (Black-ish, Angie Tribeca), Trevor Jackson (Eureka, Let it Shine) and Chris Parnell (30 Rock, Archer).

Fans of Black-ish have slammed the spin-off for “lacking originality” and being a “disconnection” toward its predecessor. However, other fans have praised the series for its “sweet comedy” and being “awkward as a freshman year should be”.

It bears a striking resemblance to A Different World, the spin-off of hugely successful The Cosby Show. A Different World aired from 1987-93 where the Huxtables’s second oldest child Denise (Lisa Bonet) goes to Hillman College. Then again, Black-ish is the same type of family comedy as The Cosby Show.

Despite being melodramatic at some points, Grown-ish is a fitting comedy that keeps viewers’ interest and prevents them from changing the channel. I’d give it a 3 out of 5 diamonds.

If you missed the first couple of episodes, catch them on Freeform.com or the Freeform app.