While Black-ish is a sitcom, it has covered some serious issues through its run, mainly dealing with class divide, race, and the right or wrong ways to raise children from the perspective of a financially successful Black family living in a predominantly white neighborhood. In fact, some of the best episodes of Black-ish have been ones that tackled deep issues.
The series also has some great running gags, however, that add comedy to even the most serious topics. And they involve every member of the family, as well as close friends and co-workers.
10 Junior Being A Mama's Boy
It's a running gag through the series' run that Junior is a total mama's boy with a perhaps too-close relationship with his mother, Bow, who often treats him like the favorite child, as well. In one episode, he even tries to cut ties with his mother for a short period of time, leading to Bow hilariously trying to bond with Jack instead, discovering that the relationship just isn't the same.
The same kinship wasn't there, and when Bow and Junior reunite to become best friends again, they act like girlfriends sharing gossip. Indeed, the running gag is that Junior and his mom do act like old girlfriends, bringing one another their favorite coffee orders and sharing the same interests, many of which seem more suited to middle-aged women than 20-something-year-old men. In many instances, Junior also makes it clear he has his mother on a pedestal, calling her a queen.
9 Dre Not Being In Touch With His Roots
In multiple episodes, Dre tries to prove that he still has ties to his roots, which involved growing up in a lower-class neighborhood with his single mother where he did not have the same level of opulence and wealth. But each time he tries to make it sound as though he is tough because he grew up in a tough neighborhood, his family and friends find it hilarious, mentioning something about him that would suggest otherwise.
He sometimes goes overboard, to great effect, and his wife and kids love to rib him about his fancy cars and clothing saying the exact opposite, while also trying to make him realize that he shouldn't feel guilty about his success.
8 Charlie Being In Love With Bow
Even though Charlie is Dre's best friend and co-worker, a running gag is that he is always ready and willing to step in and be with Bow should anything ever happen between the happy couple.
The show has even gone as far as to show Charlie having a photo of Bow in his office and making under-his-breath comments about how beautiful Bow is or how he would like to be with her, yet they are never taken seriously.
7 Pops And His Questionable Past
Pops' questionable past involves not only his absenteeism as a father but also his infidelity and gambling problem. None of this is funny, of course, but some aspects of Pops' past are delivered in a funny way. For example, one running gag is Pops always mentioning that he isn't allowed to enter Canada. No one knows why, or even if it's true, as the reasons remain undisclosed.
As well, whenever Pops reunites with old friends or talks about his past, they always vaguely discuss events and things they did that sound completely unbelievable. While some of these things could be dangerous, others are downright funny. For example, he once claimed to know the man who invented Kwanzaa and that the man owes him $35.
6 Ruby Making Fun Of Bow
Ruby – arguably the best character on Black-ish - uses every chance she gets to take jabs at Bow, whether it's her abilities as a mother or wife, her cooking, her focus on her career, or the way she parents her children. While the jokes could be considered hurtful, they're obviously taken in jest for the sake of sitcom laughs, and Bow has gotten used to it as part of her mother-in-law's charm. That said, many of her jokes are witty and clever.
When push comes to shove, Ruby admits that she really does like Bow and knows she is a good mother and provider. But she still can't help keeping up appearances and competing with Bow for Dre's affections.
5 Dre's Loud Outfits
Dre has an amazing closet that would be the envy of any man or woman and plenty of outfits and tons of expensive shoes. But most interestingly, he often wears very loud and eccentric sweaters.
It's part of his personality that he likes to stand out, but some of the shirts are totally unique and unlike anything that anyone has ever seen. It's mostly a running gag for viewers since no one who crosses paths with Dre on the series, including family members and co-workers, ever really comments on his stand-out clothing choices.
4 Diane Always Thinking Sinister Things
Diane constantly makes strange comments that suggest she's into very dark things, whether it's doing elicit things online or grabbing her nunchuks from her room. Diane has tons of noteworthy clap backs, but they aren't always dark and scary. The running gag is that she is dark and dangerous, but the family doesn't really view this as being a serious issue. It's just part of her personality.
Of course, Diane is just a normal teenage girl who is the dominant personality between her and her twin brother, Jack. And that is precisely what makes it so funny. It is a family sitcom, after all, so the personality trait is meant to be humorous.
3 Charlie Forgetting About His Son
Many times in conversation, Dre will be talking with his co-workers about problems with his children or family, and Charlie will attempt to offer advice. He will sometimes use his own son as an example, then look bewildered and say "Eustace!" and realize that he forgot him somewhere.
Sometimes, he forgot to pick Eustance up or forgot he was home by himself playing video games. But sometimes, Charlie acts as though he genuinely even forgot he had a son. It's so absurd that it's funny.
2 Rick Fox Possibly Being Zoey's Father
An ongoing joke and one of the hidden details about Black-ish characters that fans might have missed, particularly in the earlier seasons when Zoey was on the show (she has since left for college and the character stars in the spin-off series Grown-ish), is that Zoey's real father could be the actor, Rick Fox.
Zoey is a beautiful girl who rocks an amazing fashion sense, as demonstrated in her many great outfits on Grown-ish. So, it would make sense that her father could truly be a very tall and handsome actor. It isn't true, of course, but the joke is often brought up at the most opportune times to make Dre jealous. He even had a nightmare about Rick Fox showing up as the "new daddy" to the family in the episode when he learned he had diabetes.
1 Charlie Being Afraid Of Diane
Every time Charlie sees Diane, he seems genuinely afraid that she might do something to him. And she acts like she will, too, often in a joking manner. It's obvious the young teenager would never actually do something, but for some reason, this has become an ongoing joke on the show.
It's like there's an unspoken rivalry between the two for unknown reasons. While the origins are never discussed, the joke continues each time the two are in the same room, and scaring Charlie remains the worst thing Diane has done.
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July 27, 2021 at 12:00AM
