'Black-ish' Preview: ABC election special has critical issues lined up in animated episodes
With the 2020 presidential elections almost around the corner, many people are trying to get out there and urge others to vote. There are, however, many hidden issues that affect the voting and the election process — knowledge of which was usually not common among the public. This year, many artists and entertainers have set out to reverse that, campaigning on voter issues and others. ABC has joined in on that to bring its viewers a two-part election special for 'Black-ish' which will air long before the seventh season of the award-winning sitcom premieres later this month.
Written by Eric Horsted, the live-action ‘Election Special Pt 1’ will see Marcus Scribner’s Junior pumped about finally being able to vote, only to find he has been dropped from the voters' list – and discovering the realities of why that occurred. The animated ‘Election Special Pt 2’ is penned by Graham Towers and Ben Deeb. The episode sees Leslie Stevens (Peter Mackenzie) from Dre Johnson's (Anthony Anderson) ad agency make a lunge for a Congressional seat — a lunge that takes Dre and his family down to the underbelly of modern-day politics.
Here's where these specials get some award-winning treatment themselves — helming both episodes as the director is Matthew Cherry himself. Cherry, who is a former football player won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short earlier this year for 'Hair Love', an award he beautifully dedicated to the late Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant. Through both episodes of the election special, Cherry will be telling the critical issues in America's election system, especially on those that adversely affect the country's Black American population.
For 'Black-ish', this special will set the tone for the rest of the season. Helmed by Kenya Barris, 'Black-ish' is known for portraying the issues of African-Americans in the country. Given the tense situation of the past six months, the sitcom will continue to reflect the country's turmoil through its multigeneration Johnson family headed by Dre and Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross).
The election special also has an accompanying soundtrack with R&B singer Jhene Aiko's election-themed song, 'Vote', which will be featured in the first of the two features. The lyrics of the song goes: “I just want to get to the ballot/ I just want to feel like I’m valid," Aiko sings on the track. "It’s the best way to make my voice heard/ And it should be automatic/ That’s my American right/ I just wanna focus on my vote.”
'Black-ish' election special airs on ABC on October 4, at 10/9c. Watch the promo and sneak peek for the election special below.