By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — When it began eight years ago there were comparisons between Kenya Barris’s comedy “Black-ish” and “The Cosby Show.” But over its eight-year tenure the program has established its own identity, carved out a faithful following and even spawned two spin-offs. Now, as the finale approaches April 19, one of its main stars Tracee Ellis Ross, has expressed her feelings about seeing the program end. She talked about it during an appearance April 11 on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“The whole season, I knew was the end, so I was very present and sort of aware of endings, even the things that bothered me,” she said, noting how sentimental she was on set. “But the last week I really said to myself, ‘Just let yourself feel whatever comes up,’ and I had a lot of tears. And it was also really wonderful to be able to take a moment. I was just talking to everybody and hearing their experience in the eight years and what about it was so special for them because we’ve been the same family for eight years, most of our crew is the same and everything so very emotional.”
She noted that there’s no guidebook on how to deal with the ending of something one has been a part of for so long.
“There’s no ritual around ending a TV show, you know, and it’s a hard thing to end when it becomes your world and and your family and your life,” she said. “I spent more time with everyone on that I did with my family.”
After DeGeneres noted that what “important show it is, was and always will be,” Ross replied: “I leave with a lot of joy and pride.”
In addition the show’s creator Barris has also recently talked about the show’s impact. He appeared on a panel April 9 along with another of the show’s stars Anthony Anderson, who’s now moved on to star once more on “Law & Order.”
“What you saw on that screen was what I went through with my children, and what Kenya went through with his children, and our wives,” Anderson told USA Today. Barris added, “We just want to be seen.”
The series finale of “Black-ish” airs next Tuesday at 8 p.m. on WKRN-2.
