“Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris and his production company Khalabo Ink Society have extended their overall deal with ABC Studios, TheWrap has learned.
The four-year extension comes on top of the three-year deal Barris signed with the studio in 2015 following the highly successful launch of his family comedy starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Under the new deal, Barris will continue to serve as executive producer on “Black-ish,” and will continue to develop new network, cable and streaming projects
Barris currently has three pilots in contention at ABC, including “Libby & Malcolm,” a half-hour comedy starring Felicity Huffman and Courtney B. Vance; “Unit Zero,” an hour-long spy dramedy starring Toni Collette; and Yara Shahidi’s “Black-ish” spinoff, “Liberal Arts.”
Currently wrapping up its third season, “Black-ish” has been a huge success for ABC and is a lock for a Season 4 pick-up. Last year, the critically acclaimed show earned three Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. Ross also took home the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in January.
Barris is represented by CAA, Principato Young, and attorney Gregg Gellman of Morris Yorn.