‘mixed-ish’ Flashes Back to Rainbow’s Unusual Childhood in the ’80s

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mixed-ish

ABC

Premieres: Sept. 24

Airs: Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT

Who’s In It? Arica Himmel, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tika Sumpter, Gary Cole, Christina Anthony

What’s It All About? Joining black-ish and grown-ish in the -ish franchise is this new spinoff that recounts the unusual childhood of black-ish’s Rainbow Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross) and her mixed-race family in the mid ’80s. Twelve-year-old Rainbow (Himmel) lives a happy life on a hippie commune with her parents (Sumpter, Gosselaar) and younger siblings. But when the feds raid their compound, the family moves to the suburbs, where Bow’s wealthy grandfather (Cole) provides them with a new life of privilege and convenience. None of that, however, can prepare the kids for what awaits them at the unfortunately named Walter Mondale School, where mixed-race kids are an anomaly. As grownup Bow explains, “Today’s mixed kids can look up to rappers, ballerinas, athletes, a president and a princess. The only heroes we had were DeBarge.”

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Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.