‘Black-ish’ Showrunner on Finding “The Emotional Finality” Ahead of Series Finale
Tyler Coates
3 min read
‘Black-ish’ Showrunner on Finding “The Emotional Finality” Ahead of Series Finale
The following scene, during the penultimate episode of the ABC family comedy Black-ish, originated last season, when recurring star Laurence Fishburne pitched an idea. “He was like, ‘Hey man, I want to do an episode about why it’s so hard for Black men of certain generations to say they love each other,’ ” recalls showrunner Courtney Lilly. The episode sees three of the Johnson men — Anthony Anderson’s Dre, Marcus Scribner’s Junior and Fishburne’s Pops — on a camping trip, where simmering feelings boil to the surface, forcing them to have a real heart-to-heart about their emotions.
Lilly says this moment sees both Anthony Anderson’s Dre and Marcus Scribner’s Junior in “a vulnerable spot”: Junior is going through a breakup, while Dre is experiencing “career ennui” — which was the perfect impetus to explore an idea that Fishburne had pitched in season seven.
Related Stories
Lilly notes this cutaway scene was omitted from the final episode. “We shot that and then we didn’t use it,” he says, adding that it was original to this episode and not a flashback like later moments in this scene. “The rhythm [of the scene] needed to be genuine.”
A running joke throughout Black-ish’s eight seasons is the tough love Dre heaps upon Junior as opposed to his other kids, Zoey, Jack and Diane. “When Laurence pitched the idea, we knew it would happen toward the end of the final season,” Lilly says. It was a moment to find “healing” between these two pairs of fathers and sons, as he notes that Dre and Junior “play out a similar dynamic to the one Dre had with his father.” These moments reiterate, comically, that Dre has always been hardest on Junior.
“This is the pivotal point where we make it explicit that Dre has raised Junior the way he has,” Lilly says. “He has a methodology for it. He thinks vulnerability is a danger for his son, and his son is at the age to throw that back at him and say, ‘There’s no danger you think you’re protecting me from that’s here right now.’ ”
“There are no jokes in this scene,” says Lilly. “One of the strengths of the show was allowing things to play in a natural rhythm.” Because the episode is leading to the finale, the emotional beats were more vital to perfect. “It’s the emotional finality in a lot of ways for this dynamic [between Dre and Junior].” But Lilly admits he did get to see this episode with a live audience for an FYC event — a rarity for a single-cam sitcom — and recalls that the comic presence of Anderson and Scribner was unavoidable and still brought laughs from the crowd.
This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
Related News & Content
-
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Cairo ignored Israeli warnings about Gaza arms smuggling. Egypt’s apathy led to October 7 | Opinion
Cairo ignored Israeli warnings about Gaza arms smuggling. Egypt's apathy led to October 7 | Opinion,The October 7 War Is Not Just an Event Between Israel and Hamas, or Between Israel and Iran's Proxies. The War Is Rocking and Changing the Face of the Middle Ea -
Germany to give Holocaust survivors in Israel an extra $238 each because of Gaza war
Germany to give Holocaust survivors in Israel an extra $238 each because of Gaza war,'This Additional Symbolic Acknowledgment Payment by Germany to Holocaust Survivors in Israel Is a Message of Solidarity' Says Restitution Group Chief After Holocaust Survivors Impacted by October 7 Hamas Attack and Gaza War -
Israeli justice’s ruling reflects the structural discrimination against Palestinians | Editorial
Israeli justice's ruling reflects the structural discrimination against Palestinians | Editorial,High Court Justice Noam Sohlberg Denied an Appeal by the Shehadeh Family of Silwan and Ordered Them to Vacate the Home They Have Been Living in Since 1967 to Ac -
If Israel’s leadership sees humanity as a threat, we must insist on preserving it | Opinion
If Israel's leadership sees humanity as a threat, we must insist on preserving it | Opinion,Two Spaces in Israel Suffered Grievous Harm When Hamas Attacked on October 7, but to Some Extent, Each Space Was Harmed Independently. -
Satellite image shows damage from Iranian ballistic missile strike on Israeli air base
Satellite image shows damage from Iranian ballistic missile strike on Israeli air base,Photo Shows Damage to Taxiway Near C-130 Transport Planes at Nevatim Air Base, Which Sustained Four Ballistic Missile Hits in Iran's Overnight Attack on Israel -
Israeli airstrike kills seven aid workers in Gaza; IDF: ‘Tragic incident’
Israeli airstrike kills seven aid workers in Gaza; IDF: 'Tragic incident',Three of the Dead Have Been Identified, Including Two Foreign Aid Workers and Their Palestinian Driver; WCK: 'Humanitarian Aid Workers and Civilians Should Never Be a Target.' IDF: Conducting Review 'To Understand the Circumstances of This Tragic Incident' -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
Blondshell and Bully Team Up For New Single “Docket”
Blondshell and Bully Team Up For New Single “Docket”,Blondshell has teamed up with Alicia Bognanno of Bully for the newly released single "Docket." Listen to the track here. -
I’m a clown for not trying Korean beauty secret for glowy skin sooner – don’t worry, I’m not putting cheese on my face
I’m a clown for not trying Korean beauty secret for glowy skin sooner – don’t worry, I’m not putting cheese on my face,A BEAUTY influencer has regrets about not trying out Korean beauty advice for glowy skin sooner. Although the trick can look a little strange at first, she assured viewers that she was not putting … -
Kristin Cavallari Slams Critics Saying Boyfriend Mark Estes Is 'Using' Her
Kristin Cavallari Slams Critics Saying Boyfriend Mark Estes Is 'Using' Her,Kristin Cavallari wants critics to know that she does not care what they say about her relationship with 24-year-old Mark Estes. -
Ex-Assistant Principal Faces Felony Charges for Ignoring Warning After Warning About Armed Six-Year-Old Shooter
Ex-Assistant Principal Faces Felony Charges for Ignoring Warning After Warning About Armed Six-Year-Old Shooter,Ebony Parker is facing eight felony child abuse charges for her alleged failure to respond to multiple school staff members' voiced concerns about a six-year-old student bringing a gun to the school in the hours before he opened fire in his first-grade classroom, shooting his teacher, Abby Zwerner. -
Wife who set fire to husband, a former deputy sheriff, and watched him burn before eventually calling 911 is convicted of murder
Wife who set fire to husband, a former deputy sheriff, and watched him burn before eventually calling 911 is convicted of murder,Evelyn Zigerelli-Henderson was convicted of killing her husband, a former county deputy sheriff, by setting him on fire in the back of their Pennsylvania home. -
Tyler Cameron Reveals If He Will Launch An OnlyFans
Tyler Cameron Reveals If He Will Launch An OnlyFans,Tyler Cameron has had fans begging him to launch an OnlyFans account -- he reveals whether he actually will. Plus, Tyler explains why he believes he has had so much success since his time on 'The Bachelorette' in 2019.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
![500,000 Pet Cats Nationwide at Risk of Adverse Reactions from Parasite Medication [Study]](https://i0.wp.com/1471793142.rsc.cdn77.org/data/images/full/70009/500-000-pet-cats-nationwide-at-risk-of-adverse-reactions-from-parasite-medication-study.jpg?w=768&ssl=1 "500,000 Pet Cats Nationwide at Risk of Adverse Reactions from Parasite Medication [Study]")
