The Black-ish creator is teaming with Parks and Recreation grad Rashida Jones for single-camera comedy Black Excellence. Barris and Jones will both star in and exec produce the series, which marks the former’s first project since moving his overall deal from ABC Studios to Netflix last year.
Netflix describes the series as being inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race and culture. The comedy looks to pull back the curtain and reboot the family sitcom in a way viewers have never seen before. An episode count and premiere date have not yet been determined.
Hale Rothstein (Black-ish and Freeform spinoff Grown-ish) will exec produce alongside Barris and Jones. The series hails from Barris’ Netflix-based Khalabo Ink Society banner.
Black Excellence arrives after Barris departed ABC following a string of blows, including multiple pilot passes and having a politically themed episode of hit Black-ish pulled from the schedule. He negotiated an early exit from his ABC Studios deal not long after, and detailed the experience in a very forthcoming Hollywood Reporter cover story written by Executive TV Editor Lacey Rose.
In addition to Black Excellence, Barris has multiple other projects in the works on the film side for Netflix, including a Shaft reboot. The order arrives days after Barris nabbed a series order at ABC for Black-ish prequel Mixed-ish, about a teenage version of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow. He’s repped by Artists First and attorney Gregg Gellman.
For Jones, meanwhile, the Netflix comedy arrives the morning after TBS canceled Angie Tribeca, the comedy in which she starred from her former Office star Steve Carell. Her credits include co-directing Netflix documentary Quincy, producing the Emmy-nominated documentary Hot Girls Wanted and exec producing TNT’s Claws. The latter, like NBC’s A to Z and feature Celeste and Jesse Forever, hailed from her Le Train Tran production company. Next up, Jones will star opposite Bill Murray in Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks. Jones is with UTA.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
