'Black-ish' EP Says Dre & Bow Are 'on Good Footing' in Season 5

Ingela Ratledge
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BLACK-ISH - ABC's
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ABC/Bob D'Amico

It’s always darkest before the dawn. Last season, black-ish took an un-sitcom-y turn when longtime couple Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross) separated but ultimately decided to save their marriage.

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Blessedly, Season 5 will open on a bright, sunshiny day. Three months have passed, and all is well at Chez Johnson. "Bow and Dre are on good footing again," confirms executive producer Jonathan Groff. "We’re glad we did that arc, but now we are focusing on the new things life throws at the family."

In the premiere, the proud parents send Andre Jr. (Marcus Scribner) off to college…so imagine their surprise to find him back in the living room with the news that he’ll be taking a gap year. "It sets off some alarm bells," says Groff.

BLACK-ISH - ABC's "black-ish" stars Miles Brown as Jack Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson, Yara Shahidi as Zoey Johnson, Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson, Marcus Scribner as Andre Johnson, Jr., Austin and Berlin Gross as Devonte Johnson, Marsai Martin as Diane Johnson, Laurence Fishburne as Pops Johnson and Jenifer Lewis as Ruby Johnson. (ABC/Bob D’Amico)

While Junior spends the coming months floundering, twins Jack (Miles Brown) and Diane (Marsai Martin) navigate another fresh hell: seventh grade. "Socially, the deck gets shuffled," Groff says. "And we’ll acknowledge they’re a little too old to be sharing a room!"

Black-ish, Season 5 Premiere, Tuesday, October 16, 9/8c, ABC