Grown-ish needs to time to truly separate itself from Black-ish and establish its own identity

Vulture

The Freeform spinoff of ABC's Black-ish that puts the focus on Yara Shahidi’s Zoey Johnson is neither great nor bad from the get-go, says Jen Chaney. “The fact is Grown-ish is a different kind of show, one that can’t push Freeform’s boundaries far enough to qualify as edgy, but definitely delves into more mature territory,” says Chaney. “The second episode, in which Zoey finds herself becoming quasi-dependent on Adderall, offers a breakdown of all the different levels of imbibing that casually go on in college, from kids drinking jello shots to taking Oxy to snorting cocaine. While families may regularly watch Black-ish together, Grown-ish feels more targeted at and appropriate for teens and young adults.”

ALSO:

• Shahidi proves to be great on her own show, especially with her comedic timing
• It seems nearly impossible to build a spinoff around Black-ish’s least-defined character
• Grown-ish presents an opportunity to reinvent Zoey Johnson, just as kids reinvent themselves when they leave for college
• Kenya Barris: “Of all the Black-ish characters, Zoey is most like my daughter, who goes to USC”
• Freeform immediately leaped at the opportunity to put on Grown-ish
• Shahidi: “There was so many moments that were happening that were parallel to my own life”