View Full Version : ABC shelved a politically themed Black-ish episode over "creative differences"


TMC
03-10-2018, 09:23 PM
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/abc-shelves-blackish-political-1202722980/

The Black-ish episode titled “Please, Baby, Please" was scheduled to run on Feb. 27, but was abruptly pulled from the lineup days earlier and replaced with a rerun. According to Variety, the episode tackled political and social themes, including the NFL players' National Anthem protests. “Given our creative differences, neither ABC nor I were happy with the direction of the episode and mutually agreed not to air it,” creator Kenya Barris tells Variety. “Black-ish is a show that has spoken to all different types of people and brought them closer as a community and I’m so proud of the series.” ABC, which hasn't confirmed whether the episode has been shelved permanently, said via spokesperson: “One of the things that has always made Black-ish so special is how it deftly examines delicate social issues in a way that simultaneously entertains and educates. However, on this episode there were creative differences we were unable to resolve.”

TMC
05-15-2018, 03:50 PM
ABC boss addresses rumored tension with Black-ish creator, says kneeling athletes was "not really the issue" in yanked episode (https://twitter.com/koblin/status/996425765368541185)
ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said there were "a number of different elements that we had a hard time coming to terms on" in the network's decision not to air a February episode of Black-ish. As for rumored tension that has reportedly led Black-ish creator Kenya Barris to seek an early exit from ABC deal and move to Netflix, she said: "He’s under contract with ABC Studios. Further specifics are not under my purview."

Kenya Barris says "we've moved past" the pulled Black-ish episode, but ABC wouldn't let him comment on the Roseanne joke (http://www.vulture.com/2018/05/abc-unaired-blackish-episode-kneeling-was-not-the-issue.html)
"We’ve moved past it," the Black-ish creator says of the “Please, Baby, Please” episode that he agreed with ABC to yank that would've tackled political and societal isues, including NFL players kneeling. "We just had a difference of opinion. I don’t think it’s the first time an episode hasn’t aired. It probably won’t be the last. And I feel like it was something for us that we felt like we couldn’t come to an agreement and mutually decided just to move past it.” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey addressed the pulled episode earlier today, saying: "Much has been made of the kneeling part of it, which was not even really the issue." Meanwhile, when Vulture asked Barris about the Roseanne joke that seemed to slam Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat, "an ABC representative interrupted and didn’t allow him to answer."