'Mixed-ish' trailer introduces us to Rainbow Johnson's world in the 1980s and it's full of verve and sass

'Mixed-ish', the prequel to hit shows 'Black-ish' and 'Grown-ish' takes us back to Rainbow Johnson's childhood when she lived in a commune in the 80s

The trailer of the ABC show 'Mixed-ish' released Tuesday and it looks like a lot of fun. We see the adult Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross), who is a doctor, a wife and a mother of five children. However, the children do not really know their mother's childhood story.

For instance, they definitely did not have a clue that their mother lived in a commune, or that the elders of the commune were arrested. Oh, my bad, like Rainbow says in the trailer, "They didn't get arrested, they were detained... for three to five years." Definitely not shocking to the children at all. I mean, who are we kidding?



 

So, Rainbow takes her children on a walk down memory lane as she introduces her family, the lifestyle of living in a commune, how the elders got arrested and finally, how Arica Himmell as the younger Rainbow and her siblings adjusted to living amid the humdrum of a city.

This also included high school. It was the summer of 1985 that changed Rainbow's life. Her commune was considered a radicalized cult which violated 47 ATF laws by the government. So, after the commune broke up, the family went to live with their paternal grandfather, who is a white man who lives by the second amendment - the right to own arms.

The kids - Johan (Ethan William), who looked at all modern technology as magic, Santa Monica (Mykal-Michelle Harris) "who complained like a woman with no kids on her third divorce," and Rainbow - were sent to school with no orientation about how the real world works. To say they had a culture shock, would be an understatement. They do not even understand what being "mixed" means. 

Santa Monica, Rainbow and Johan on the first day of school. (Source: YouTube)

Unlike mixed kids today who can look up to rappers, ballerinas, athletes, a president, and a princess; in Rainbow's time, there were no such idols to look up to. The story is about how three mixed kids mingle with people in the real world. While the story is narrated by Rainbow, most exciting to watch is little girl Santa Monica. That girl's level of sass is big-time goals!

The kids get a major makeover from their aunt Dee Dee who tells the kids they look like runaway house slaves. The kids understand pretty quickly that it is hard to be a rainbow in a black and white world. As Santa Monica put it, "We are living in a material world and I am a material girl."

The show is slated to premiere in the fall on ABC Tuesdays at 9 pm ET.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Malik has no idea Hondo knows his secret, and Adain Bradley says their story is far from over.
2026-10-17T20:45:16.000Z
Jo’s resignation raises questions about her future as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ begins a new era in Season 23
2026-10-17T18:23:30.000Z
‘Tulsa King’ Season 4, starring Sylvester Stallone, streams every Friday on Paramount+
2026-10-17T10:36:40.000Z
Pavi and her long-lost twin Nisha hunt for their origins as the Havens cheer the last Avatar’s death
2026-10-17T08:37:00.000Z
Season 2 of the HBO Stephen King prequel jumps back to 1935 and a gang of bank robbers
2026-10-17T06:52:24.000Z
‘Fire Country’ season 5 episode 2 reveals Jake’s fate after the shooting as the team uncovers the attacker’s motive
2026-10-17T06:41:28.000Z
Wes ends ‘Sheriff Country’ Season 2 Episode 2 in the hands of Stoyanovs after exposing bakery bug
2026-10-17T05:35:47.000Z
Chad Lowe is the executive producer on ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ and has also directed many episodes
2026-10-17T05:07:28.000Z
Issa López returns as showrunner for a Jamaica Bay story with ties to ’Night Country’
2026-10-17T03:12:59.000Z
Oklahoma’s governor and Dwight’s love interest board a private jet in the first episode of Season 4
2026-10-16T09:30:07.000Z