Black people frequently appear in mockumentaries and satires as little more than set dressing, but Kenya Barris’ #blackAF puts them front and center.
Focused on a very specific Black experience, his new Netflix show features a faux documentary project being filmed by one of his daughters about her extravagant family, a brand new trailer reveals.
The series is loosely based on Barris’ actual family as they navigate their new place among the one percent. Doing everything from playing “count the Black people” at a luxury resort, to handing out Fendi keychains as children’s party favors, the fictional Barris family is self-aware about becoming stereotypes of themselves.
The opening shot of the trailer features Kenya, who plays himself on the series, poking fun at his sanitized reputation with the help of his peers, Ava Duvernay, Will Packer, Issa Rae, Tim Story and Lena Waithe.
He’s joined by Rashida Jones, who plays his wife Joya. The actress long ago proved herself a pro at this style of comedy in Angie Tribeca and The Office.
Their children are played by Genneya Walton, Iman Benson Scarlet Spencer, Justin Claiborne , Ravi Cabot-Conyers and Richard Gardenhire Jr.
Instead of offering quippy one liners and cliché comebacks to help White characters find their ways, everyone gets a true voice in #blackAF. In the school of Kevin Hart’s House Husbands of Hollywood, the show has the characters in confessionals, giving us an even deeper glance into their lives.
#blackAF premieres on Netflix on April 17. Watch the trailer below.