black-ish Expanded to a Full Season 7

Matt Webb Mitovich
·2 min read
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Hero pizza for everyone!

TVLine has learned that just days after black-ish premiered its seventh season, ABC has ordered an extra six episodes, bringing this season’s total to 21 — with the possibility for even more to come.

Once again airing on Wednesday nights following a three-season move to Tuesdays, black-ish this week returned to 3.1 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating (in Live+Same Day numbers) — up sharply from its May finale (2.5 mil/0.4) and right on par with its Season 6 average (2.6 mil/0.6). No small feat in #PandemicTimes.

black-ish was originally slotted to return at midseason (which likely dictated its shorter order), but less than 24 hours after ABC unveiled that 2020-21 game plan — and in the midst of so much summertime civil unrest — it was promoted to a proper fall perch. (As a result, Kyra Sedgwick’s Call Your Mother freshman comedy got pushed to midseason.)

As ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke explained back in June, “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 [series creator] Kenya [Barris] 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.”

Want scoop on black-ish, or for any other show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

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