Kenya Barris Announces First Netflix Series BLACK EXCELLENCE

Netflix has ordered Black Excellence, their first series project with Kenya Barris with Barris and Rashida Jones set to star.

Inspired by Barris' irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, Black Excellence looks to pull the curtain back and reboot the "family sitcom" in a way we've never seen before.

Barris and Jones will executive produce alongside Hale Rothstein (black-ish, grown-ish). The single-camera comedy will be produced through Barris' production company, Khalabo Ink Society, under the multi-hyphenate's overall series deal with the streamer.

Black Excellence marks Barris' first series with Netflix since making the streamer his home less than a year ago. Barris hasn't been shy about his desire to flip THE FAMILY sitcom and what it looks like on its head; and with the series officially launching its writers room last month, he is wasting little time getting to work on exploring and pushing those boundaries.

Kenya Barris is an award-winning writer, producer and director whose innovative approach to comedy has firmly cemented his place as one Hollywood's great modern storytellers. With a focus on socially conscious storytelling that reflects our culture and tackles contemporary issues and themes, Barris' work has earned him praise for telling poignant, powerful stories that make audiences more aware of the world around them while simultaneously making them laugh. In addition to his own creative voice and vision, Barris has a deep commitment towards mentorship that has become a staple of how he approaches both his career and production company, Khalabo Ink Society. With this as a pillar of the company's creative process, Barris has grown the production company with the goal of establishing it as a creative collective, where collaboration is fostered and new talent can thrive.

Barris is perhaps best known as the television creator behind the hit series black-ish, an autobiographical sitcom inspired by his own life and experiences as a husband and father. A critical darling that has resonated with a broad range of audiences since its debut, black-ish has earned praise for offering insight into issues of race and class through its funny, truthful and timely portrayal of the Black experience. The series has proven to be a mainstay for the network and has launched two spin-off series - Freeform's grown-ish and the newly-ordered mixed-ish at ABC. Additionally, Barris has several television projects in various stages of development including the multi-camera comedy Unrelated for FreeForm and a remake of the popular 1960s sitcom Bewitched that will shift its focus to now center on an interracial blended family. Along with a booming television slate, Barris also continues to expand his work on the features side with two films being released this year -- LITTLE, the body-swap comedy he produced starring Regina Hall, Marsai Martin and Issa Rae that hit theatres last month, and SHAFT, the high-profile next installment in the Shaft legacy from director Tim Story and a screenplay by Barris. Among his other upcoming feature projects COMING TO AMERICA 2, the highly anticipated sequel to John Landis' 1980s classic starring Eddie Murphy, and an animated feature based on the songs of Bob Marley.

Photo Credit: Matt Sayles

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