Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentNewsTV

‘Black-ish’ Creator Kenya Barris Sets Exclusive Netflix Deal

Posted byBy Associated Press | Published on: CommentsComments (0)
Kenya Barris

FILE – In this Jan. 8, 2017 file photo, Kenya Barris arrives at the HBO Golden Globes afterparty in Beverly Hills, Calif. Netflix says it’s signed “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris to an exclusive production agreement. The multi-year deal announced Thursday makes Barris the latest prominent TV showrunner to jump from broadcast and cable to the streaming platform.(Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Netflix says it’s signed “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris to an exclusive production agreement.

The multi-year deal announced Thursday makes Barris the latest prominent TV creator to jump from broadcast and cable to the streaming platform.

Barris’ Peabody-winning “Black-ish” aired on ABC, and he produced the spinoff “Grown-ish” for the network’s Disney Co. sibling, Freeform.

He ended his ABC Studios contract early after ABC declined to air a “black-ish” episode that reportedly addressed issues including the NFL player protests.

Among other producers who have made Netflix deals: Shonda Rhimes, creator of ABC hits “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” and Ryan Murphy of FX series including “American Horror Story.”

In a statement, Barris joked that he’d decided to take a chance on Netflix despite it being what he called a “mom-and-pop shop.”

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top