Will ABC produce a ‘Black-ish’ spin-off?

Question: What did you think of the backdoor pilot on Black-ish? I would definitely watch it if ABC picks it up. —Jake

Matt Roush: It’s maybe not the most original idea to send a sitcom kid off to college and build a show around that experience—see A Different World—but Zoey (Yara Shahidi) is no more Denise than Black-ish is a clone of The Cosby Show. I enjoyed the episode, which in its depiction of a black dorm under threat of being shut down was actually more reminiscent of the excellent Netflix comedy Dear White People. Broader for sure, especially in the doltish administration characters played by Chris Parnell and Veep’s Matt Walsh. With Kenya Burris and Larry Wilmore steering this project, I’d definitely give it a shot. And if it doesn’t go forward, I hope they can weave Zoey subplots into the show as effectively as The Middle has done with the campus antics of Axl and Sue.

Question: Can you give me hope for an ending to The Glades? The series, now on Netflix, ended with a cliffhanger in season 4. —Mary

Matt Roush: I’m not in the false hope business, so I have to advise moving on where this show is concerned. If Netflix were to have rescued this show the way it did Longmire (for which we’re
all grateful), it surely would already have happened.

To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com