‘Black-ish’ Showrunner on Finding “The Emotional Finality” Ahead of Series Finale

The following scene, during the penultimate episode of the ABC family comedy

Black-ish, originated last season, when recurring star Laurence Fishburne

pitched an idea. “He was like, ‘Hey man, I want to do an episode about why it’s

so hard for Black men of certain generations to say they love each other,’ ”

recalls showrunner Courtney Lilly. The episode sees three of the Johnson men

Anthony Anderson’s Dre, Marcus Scribner’s Junior and Fishburne’s Pops

on a camping trip, where simmering feelings boil to the surface

forcing them to have a real heart-to-heart about their emotions.

Lilly says this moment sees both Anthony Anderson’s Dre and Marcus Scribner’s Junior