# BlackAF
**#blackAF** is an American comedy television series created by Kenya Barris for Netflix, in which Barris stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a wealthy television producer navigating family life, race, and his own success. It premiered on April 17, 2020, with a single season of eight episodes, and co-stars [Rashida Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/rashida-jones) as his wife Joya.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81056700) The series was renewed for a second season in 2020, but Netflix reversed that decision in June 2021 and explored redeveloping the property as a standalone film franchise.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | April 17, 2020, on Netflix; all eight episodes released the same day[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81056700) |
| Format | Mockumentary framed as a documentary filmed by the teenage daughter Drea (Iman Benson) for her NYU film-school application[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/in-blackaf-kenya-barris-channels-an-unsympathetic-alter-ego-with-unhappy-results/2020/04/16/bd9da27a-7fe9-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html) |
| Cast | Kenya Barris as Kenya, Rashida Jones as Joya, with Genneya Walton, Iman Benson, Scarlet Spencer, Justin Claiborne, Ravi Cabot-Conyers, and Richard Gardenhire Jr. as the children[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81056700) |
| Reception | 46% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (24 reviews) against 75% on the audience Popcornmeter (250+ ratings)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blackaf) |
| Episode titles | Every episode title contains the phrase "because of slavery"[5](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2020/04/20/45922/blackaf) |
| Cancellation | Season 2 pickup of June 2020 reversed in June 2021; Netflix reportedly considered Brazil- and Mexico-set vacation films[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/) |
| Rating | TV-MA (mature audiences)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blackaf) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
The series follows [Kenya Barris](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenya-barris), playing a version of himself as the rich creator of a successful sitcom, his lawyer wife Joya, and their six children in a Los Angeles mansion. Netflix's synopsis describes a "new money" Black family trying to get it right in a modern world where "right" is no longer a fixed concept, loosely inspired by Barris's own approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81056700)
The framing device is a documentary shot by Drea, the second-oldest child, for her application to New York University; her father supplies expensive equipment and a full-time camera crew, making her the show's narrator.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/in-blackaf-kenya-barris-channels-an-unsympathetic-alter-ego-with-unhappy-results/2020/04/16/bd9da27a-7fe9-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html) The family offers direct-to-camera commentary between scenes, a structure the UK comedy site Chortle identified as an echo of *Modern Family*, while comparing Barris's self-absorbed protagonist to [Larry David](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-david)'s in *Curb Your Enthusiasm*.[5](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2020/04/20/45922/blackaf) Every episode title ends with some variation of "because of slavery," a running joke the review read as making explicit that the character's torments come from society rather than from his own choices.[5](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2020/04/20/45922/blackaf)
## Production background
#blackAF was Barris's first scripted series for Netflix. He had left ABC Studios in August 2018 after clashing with the network over content, and in 2018 signed what *The New Yorker* described as a potentially hundred-million-dollar deal with Netflix.[6](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/more-money-more-problems-in-kenya-barris-blackaf) • [2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/) In a note to critics, Barris wrote, "I wanted this to be something bold, honest, and unfiltered."[7](https://time.com/5821357/blackaf-netflix-review/) The series was the second produced at Netflix under his overall deal, after the sketch comedy *Astronomy Club*, and was executive produced by Barris, Jones, and Hale Rothstein.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blackaf)
## Reception
Critical response was divided. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus held that solid one-liners and sharp social critiques could not save the show from feeling like a stale retread of Barris's earlier work; the audience score of 75% sat far above the critics' 46%.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blackaf) *Time* called it an uneven but inspired take on the *Curb Your Enthusiasm* formula, praising the interludes on materialism and fatherhood and the fifth episode, in which guest stars including [Issa Rae](https://www.edgepedia.org/issa-rae), Ava DuVernay, and [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry) help Kenya agonize over how to judge Black art.[7](https://time.com/5821357/blackaf-netflix-review/) The Washington Post found the show more confounding than comedic, arguing that Barris was not a strong enough actor to carry the self-critical role while Jones did the comedic work.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/in-blackaf-kenya-barris-channels-an-unsympathetic-alter-ego-with-unhappy-results/2020/04/16/bd9da27a-7fe9-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html) Doreen St. Félix, staff writer at *The New Yorker*, wrote that the show had alienated some Black critics who saw it as retreading passé conversations about race and authenticity, while non-critics showed a higher tolerance for its flaws.[6](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/more-money-more-problems-in-kenya-barris-blackaf) A RogerEbert.com review by Robert Daniels, associate editor at the site, judged the series unfocused and said it never hit its stride.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/blackaf-tv-review-streaming-netflix)
Barris himself later described the show as "the best and worst experience I had in my life" in a 2020 conversation with the musician [Tyler, the Creator](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-the-creator), who singled out the Tyler Perry speech in the fourth or fifth episode as a moment that captured feelings he had held since childhood.[9](https://time.com/5880998/tyler-the-creator-kenya-barris-art/)
## Cancellation and aftermath
Netflix picked up a second season in June 2020, then reversed the decision in June 2021, one year after the pickup. According to reporting relayed by TVLine from [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter), the sitcom was to be redeveloped as a potential film franchise in the manner of *National Lampoon's Vacation*, with Brazil- and Mexico-set installments reportedly in early development.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/) The reversal followed Barris's January 2021 exit from his Netflix overall deal for a new pact with ViacomCBS.[2](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/) The series remains available on Netflix.[10](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/blackaf)
## References
1. [#blackAF, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81056700)
2. [#blackAF Not Returning For Season 2; Netflix Eyes Standalone Film Franchise, TVLine (June 23, 2021)](https://www.tvline.com/news/blackaf-cancelled-season-2-netflix-movies-kenya-barris-1234692680/)
3. [In '#BlackAF,' Kenya Barris channels an unsympathetic alter ego, with unhappy results, The Washington Post (April 16, 2020)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/in-blackaf-kenya-barris-channels-an-unsympathetic-alter-ego-with-unhappy-results/2020/04/16/bd9da27a-7fe9-11ea-9040-68981f488eed_story.html)
4. [#blackAF, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/blackaf)
5. [BlackAF review, Chortle (April 20, 2020)](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2020/04/20/45922/blackaf)
6. [More Money More Problems in Kenya Barris's "#blackAF", The New Yorker (April 27, 2020)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/04/more-money-more-problems-in-kenya-barris-blackaf)
7. [Review: '#blackaf' Is Kenya Barris' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', Time](https://time.com/5821357/blackaf-netflix-review/)
8. [Netflix's Meta Sitcom #blackAF Never Hits Its Stride, RogerEbert.com (April 14, 2020)](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/blackaf-tv-review-streaming-netflix)
9. [Kenya Barris In Conversation With Tyler, The Creator, Time](https://time.com/5880998/tyler-the-creator-kenya-barris-art/)
10. [#blackAF, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/blackaf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › Family and household sitcoms › Contemporary family sitcoms*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license