I’m old enough to remember loving A Different World, but not young enough to remember any details about the actual show so I was hoping that Grown-ish would follow a similar path of excellence surpassing its origins and standing independently on its own. If you’re familiar with Black-ish, an ABC sitcom about a black family that lives and works in predominantly white spaces, then you probably know about Zoe, the oldest daughter. The spinoff focuses on Zoe’s college experience. I enjoy watching both shows, but I would not call either show must see TV, just an enjoyable diversion in the narrowing Venn diagram that is the intersecting television tastes of my mom and me.
While it has a sort of afterschool special vibe as it tackles hot topics such as drugs, drinking, sex, social media, exploitation of collegiate athletes, and politics, Grown-ish never takes a simplistic approach to these issues. I was actually clutching my pearls shocked at how much was permitted to air on broadcast television: profanity, LGBTQ issues, hookups, a friendly campus drug dealer who is in the inner circle. The main protagonist is often in the center of these scenarios whereas in my day, they would exclusively put the issue of the day burden on the show’s lesser known, supporting actors.
Grown-ish often pulls punches because there is only so much you can do in a little over twenty minutes. I’m specifically thinking of the episodes in which a conservative woman succeeds at shifting a protest to be all about her and the colorism episode. It is a comedy, but the real bravery would be if there weren’t happy endings in both episodes as in real life. In the real world, that woman would be exiled and probably wouldn’t want to hang out with that group, and everyone would still be single.
My main problem with Grown-ish was the repetitive love triangle/quadrilateral. One minute, everyone is friends. Then they were suddenly dating, broken up, friends and dating again with almost no transition. When did this happen? Did I miss a transition episode? Is Stephanie Meyer a writer for this show? For the record, I’m actually happy with Zoe’s final answer, but when it began, it felt like it came from nowhere.
Grown-ish’s main asset is the winning cast. While you may have come for Yara Shahidi, you’ll stay for Chloe and Halle Berry, who also sing the theme song, Luka Sabbat, Emily Arlook, Francia Raisa and Trevor Jackson. I have no idea how much acting experience they bring to the table, but their charisma and chemistry are undeniable, and if life is fair and rooted in merit, then they will all have to wear shades in the future.
I’ll stay for as long as the show lasts, but Grown-ish is simultaneously too adult and too much of a kiddie show to completely capture my interest as opposed to shows that focus on stories with more organic character development.