Diving Into Black-ish
Photo: ABC
In 2014, ABC debuted Black-ish, a sitcom centered around the adventures of the Johnson family. The show follows Andre and Rainbow Johnson as they work to instill a sense of cultural identity in their children while raising them in a predominantly white neighborhood, telling stories that deal with questions of race, assimilation, and American identity.
Starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross in the lead roles, Black-ish quickly became a ratings hit after its premiere. Critics have lauded the show for the way it handles both the age-old challenges that every family deals with and the unique problems faced by Black Americans in our current cultural moment. In its six years on the air, Black-ish has amassed a devoted audience, fawning critical reviews, and Outstanding Comedy Series nominations from both the Emmys and the Golden Globes.
Black-ish has also spawned several spin-offs in that time, with Grown-ish debuting in 2017, Mixed-ish premiering in 2019, and Old-ish, starring Laurence Fishburne and Jenifer Lawrence, set to premiere in the near future.
Ranker Insights is taking a deep dive into the ABC sitcom’s fan base to celebrate the premiere of its seventh season this month. Here’s what we learned about Black-ish’s fan base, from their taste in TV shows, to the films they love most, to their distribution across the U.S.
WHAT AMERICAN AUDIENCES THINK
Photo: Ranker
Black-ish is beloved by a little more than half of all our voters across the country. There’s 52% approval of the show on the West Coast, while 54% of Ranker voters in the Midwest are fans. People in the Mountain West area of the U.S. are split right down the middle, giving Black-ish a 50% approval rating.
You’ll find more fans of the show on the East Coast: 58% of Ranker voters in the South approve of Black-ish, and 63% of folks in the Northeast count themselves fans.
FANS' TOP SHOWS
Photo: ABC
Those who tune in to Black-ish gravitate towards other comedies that center the experiences of Black Americans. For example, those who like Black-ish are 9X more likely than the average TV viewer to count themselves fans of Everybody Hates Chris, as well as Girlfriends, the 2000 UPN sitcom starring Tracee Ellis Ross. Black-ish fans are also 8X more likely to watch Atlanta and Insecure.
Of course, Black-ish fans tend to also enjoy the show’s spin-offs — they’re 8X more likely to enjoy Grown-ish — but many of them are fans of the other shows that make up ABC’s comedy lineup. For example, they’re and 4X more likely to watch sitcoms like Modern Family and The Hughleys.
There’s also a good chunk of the Black-ish fan base that’s drawn to the show’s compelling depiction of modern family life. That explains why those who love the show are 4X more likely to watch The Goldbergs and 6X more likely to watch Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
On the other side of the coin, fans of Black-ish are less likely to turn to horror shows like Fear of the Walking Dead, The Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures, or HBO’s True Detective. In general, fans of Black-ish seem to favor comedy over almost any other genre, including action, suspense, and drama.
FANS AT THE MOVIES
According to Ranker data, Black-ish fans are more likely to love films that focus on the African-American experience. Fans of the show are twice as likely to watch classics like Do The Right Thing (1988), Bad Boys (1995), and Love And Basketball (2000).
ELSEWHERE ON RANKER
Photo: ABC
