The fourth season of Black-ish aired from October 3, 2017, to May 15, 2018, on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Khalabo Ink Society, Cinema Gypsy Productions, Principato-Young Entertainment and ABC Studios, with creator Kenya Barris, who also serves as executive producer alongside Anthony Anderson, Brian Dobbins, Jonathan Groff and Helen Sugland.
| Black-ish | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC (episodes 1–23) Hulu (episode 24) |
| Original release | October 3, 2017 – May 15, 2018 |
| Season chronology | |
The series revolves around Dre, portrayed by Anthony Anderson, a family man who struggles with finding his cultural identity while raising his kids in a white neighborhood. He lives with his wife, Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross).
From this season forward, Yara Shahidi is a recurring character, due to her character receiving her own spin-off show, Grown-ish.
Cast
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 1 | "Juneteenth" | Anton Cropper | Peter Saji | October 3, 2017 | 401 | 4.71[1] |
| The Johnsons go to Jack and Diane's school play about Columbus Day and Dre is dismayed by the historically inaccurate way that the holiday is portrayed. He feels like there aren't enough black holidays, so he enlists Aloe Blacc at work to help him create a catchy song to raise awareness for a holiday worth celebrating: Juneteenth. | |||||||
| 74 | 2 | "Mother Nature" | Ken Whittingham | Corey Nickerson | October 10, 2017 | 402 | 4.43[2] |
| Bow feels overwhelmed after Devante's birth and learns that she is suffering from postpartum depression. Dre urges her to get help and stands by her side while she works through it. Meanwhile, the kids try to help their parents by baby-proofing the house. | |||||||
| 75 | 3 | "Elder Scam" | Anton Cropper | Courtney Lilly | October 17, 2017 | 404 | 4.13[3] |
| When Ruby gets scammed, Dre suspects that she isn't as sharp as she used to be, particularly because she was the one who used to scam others. Elsewhere, Diane develops a crush on Zoey's friend Aaron. | |||||||
| 76 | 4 | "Advance to Go (Collect $200)" | Anton Cropper | Gail Lerner | October 24, 2017 | 406 | 3.98[4] |
| Dre brings everyone together for a rowdy family game night and the competition is fierce. The game of choice is Monopoly, and as the night progresses, alliances are formed and some are pushed to their limits. Meanwhile, Bow makes clear how she feels about Junior's girlfriend. | |||||||
| 77 | 5 | "Public Fool" | Kevin Bray | Kenya Barris | October 31, 2017 | 403 | 3.53[5] |
| An incident at school gets Junior expelled from his beloved Valley Glen Prep. Faced with sending their son to public school, Bow and Dre worry over how he will fare in his new environment. | |||||||
| 78 | 6 | "First and Last" | Linda Mendoza | Laura Gutin Peterson | November 7, 2017 | 405 | 3.70[6] |
| Diane experiences a big life event; sensing his dominance on the court coming to an end, Dre conducts psychological warfare on Junior before challenging him to a game of basketball. | |||||||
| 79 | 7 | "Please Don't Feed the Animals" | Michael Schultz | Hale Rothstein | November 14, 2017 | 407 | 3.86[7] |
| Dre's godbrother is released from prison, sparking a debate between Dre and Bow; the kids pressure Ruby to reveal secrets from her past. | |||||||
| 80 | 8 | "Charity Case" | Claire Scanlon | Sam Laybourne | December 5, 2017 | 409 | 4.04[8] |
| Dre is chosen to lead Stevens and Lido's new charity campaign, which helps people give back to their community. When Bow advises Dre that there is more to giving back than cutting checks, he decides to donate some of his clothes to a man in need. The man's striking resemblance to Dre results in people thinking he has become homeless himself. Meanwhile, Junior fails his driving test, so Ruby offers to chaperone him and the twins on an informative outing. | |||||||
| 81 | 9 | "Sugar Daddy" | John Fortenberry | Yamara Taylor | December 12, 2017 | 410 | 4.29[9] |
| Dre is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and resolves to cure himself; Jack is convinced that baby Devante hates him and enlists the help of Junior and Diane in his attempts to win him over. | |||||||
| 82 | 10 | "Working Girl" | Michael Spiller | Lindsey Shockley | January 2, 2018 | 408 | 4.02[10] |
| Bow struggles to adjust when she returns to work after maternity leave; Ruby teaches the twins a way to manipulate teachers in order to get out of doing homework. | |||||||
| 83 | 11 | "Inheritance" | Millicent Shelton | Stacy Traub | January 9, 2018 | 411 | 3.75[11] |
| Ruby has a talk with Dre and Rhonda (guest star Raven-Symoné) about their inheritance; Bow's sister hires Junior as her assistant. | |||||||
| 84 | 12 | "Bow Knows" | Rob Sweeney | Laura Gutin Peterson | January 16, 2018 | 414 | 3.76[12] |
| Dre runs point on a campaign focusing on the talk black parents have with their children about racial bias; Bow finds an online support group for moms. | |||||||
| 85 | 13 | "Unkept Woman" | Pete Chatmon | Christian Lander | February 6, 2018 | 412 | 3.72[13] |
| Dre and Bow's morning routine with the kids changes; Junior bonds with Diane over teasing Jack's friend Mason now that he is in charge of driving his siblings to school. | |||||||
| 86 | 14 | "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" | Gail Lerner | Steven White | March 13, 2018 | 416 | 3.01[14] |
| Dre and Bow face their own gender biases upon learning that Junior and Zoey have both become sexually active. Ruby's feelings are hurt when she realizes Jack and Diane are spending time with a classmate's grandmother after school | |||||||
| 87 | 15 | "White Breakfast" | Rob Cohen | Lindsey Shockley | March 13, 2018 | 415 | 2.86[14] |
| Dre and Bow try to figure out the right balance of discipline and support when Jack and Diane get in trouble at school. Ruby believes Junior's Spanish teacher might be coming on to him. | |||||||
| 88 | 16 | "Things Were Different Then" | Todd Holland | Courtney Lilly | March 20, 2018 | 417 | 3.90[15] |
| Dre sees his father's past in a new light when he and Junior plan Pops' 65th birthday party; Jack and Diane take advantage of Bow's decision to say yes to everything for a whole year. | |||||||
| 89 | 17 | "North Star" | Eva Longoria | Laura Gutin Peterson | March 27, 2018 | 418 | 8.58[16] |
| Dre and Bow learn to love each other's cuisines when their families arrive for Easter; Jack and Diane pretend not to be interested in Junior's Easter egg hunt to impress their cool cousins. | |||||||
| 90 | 18 | "Black Math" | Kevin Bray | Doug Hall | April 3, 2018 | 419 | 5.27[17] |
| When Junior is accepted into Stanford, Andre tries to convince him to attend Howard University instead. Jack develops a comedy style and Ruby decides to manage his career, forcing Diane to compete for her attention. | |||||||
| 91 | 19 | "Dog Eat Dog World" | Anton Cropper | Jenifer Rice-Genzuk Henry | April 10, 2018 | 420 | 4.90[18] |
| The family is divided over the idea of getting a dog after Dre and Bow promise Jack he can get one if he gets straight A's -- and he does. Meanwhile, Bow's brother Johan (guest star Daveed Diggs) is in town and doesn't get the warm welcome he expects from Ruby. | |||||||
| 92 | 20 | "Fifty-Three Percent" | Tracee Ellis Ross | Gail Lerner | April 17, 2018 | 421 | 4.04[19] |
| Fighting more than usual, Dre and Bow return to their therapist, who suggests they schedule a date night; when a bounce house gets left behind after Devante's first birthday party, Jack and Diane take advantage of it in different ways. | |||||||
| 93 | 21 | "Blue Valentime" | Jonathan Groff | Yamara Taylor | May 1, 2018 | 422 | 4.45[20] |
| Tensions are high between Dre and Bow as their contractor arrives to remodel the kitchen; Dre reflects on the good times in his relationship with Bow. | |||||||
| 94 | 22 | "Collateral Damage" | Gail Lerner | Owen H.M. Smith | May 8, 2018 | 423 | 4.32[21] |
| Feeling that their marriage is on the rocks, Dre and Bow separate. They maintain a civil relationship in front of the kids but, in private, their relationship remains strained. During a graduation party for Junior, Dre and Bow get into a heated argument without realizing their kids are watching, devastating the kids, who blame themselves for their parents' fighting, and diminishing their own hopes for reconciliation. | |||||||
| 95 | 23 | "Dream Home" | E. Langston Craig | Graham Towers & Steve Vitolo | May 15, 2018 | 424 | 4.96[22] |
| Dre and Bow try to lead separate lives by splitting their time with the kids and adapting to their new realities: Dre leases his dream glass house in the Hollywood Hills, which proves to be a challenge with the kids, while Bow struggles to be the man of the house. However, a family tragedy prompts Dre and Bow to come together and reconsider their future. | |||||||
Unaired episode
The would-be fourteenth episode of the season, titled "Please, Baby, Please", was shot in November 2017, and originally scheduled to air on February 27, 2018. However on February 22, 2018, ABC announced that the episode would be pulled from the schedule and that a repeat of a past episode would air instead.[23] USA Today stated that the episode "was apparently too political for the network".[24] An ABC spokesperson said that there "were creative differences we were unable to resolve".[25] On March 10, 2018, it was officially announced that the network had no plans to air the episode.[26] In the episode, Dre tries to read a bedtime story to Devante during a thunderstorm, but instead improvises a new story based on recent social and political issues in the United States.[27] It was added to Hulu on August 10, 2020.[28]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96 | 24 | "Please, Baby, Please" | Kenya Barris | Kenya Barris & Peter Saji | August 10, 2020 (Hulu) | 413 | – |
| Devante keeps everyone awake on a stormy night with his crying, so Dre is given the task of calming him down with a bedtime story, but when that doesn't work, he tells his own story about the current state of the country. | |||||||
Reception
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | Total (18–49) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Juneteenth" | October 3, 2017 | 1.5/5 | 4.71[1] | 0.7 | 2.2[29] |
| 2 | "Mother Nature" | October 10, 2017 | 1.3/5 | 4.43[2] | 0.7 | 2.0[30] |
| 3 | "Elder. Scam." | October 17, 2017 | 1.1/4 | 4.13[3] | 0.8 | 1.9[31] |
| 4 | "Advance to Go (Collect $200)" | October 24, 2017 | 1.1/4 | 3.98[4] | — | — |
| 5 | "Public Fool" | October 31, 2017 | 1.0/4 | 3.53[5] | — | — |
| 6 | "First and Last" | November 7, 2017 | 1.1/4 | 3.70[6] | 0.7 | 1.8[32] |
| 7 | "Please Don't Feed the Animals" | November 14, 2017 | 1.1/4 | 3.86[7] | — | — |
| 8 | "Charity Case" | December 5, 2017 | 1.0/4 | 4.04[8] | 0.7 | 1.7[33] |
| 9 | "Sugar Daddy" | December 12, 2017 | 1.2/5 | 4.29[9] | — | — |
| 10 | "Working Girl" | January 2, 2018 | 1.1/4 | 4.02[10] | — | — |
| 11 | "Inheritance" | January 9, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 3.75[11] | — | — |
| 12 | "Bow Knows" | January 16, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 3.76[12] | — | — |
| 13 | "Unkept Woman" | February 6, 2018 | 1.0/4 | 3.72[13] | 0.6 | 1.6[34] |
| 14 | "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" | March 13, 2018 | 0.9/3 | 3.01[14] | TBD | TBD |
| 15 | "White Breakfast" | March 13, 2018 | 0.9/3 | 2.86[14] | TBD | TBD |
| 16 | "Things Were Different Then" | March 20, 2018 | 1.1/4 | 3.90[15] | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | "North Star" | March 27, 2018 | 2.6/10 | 8.58[16] | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | "Black Math" | April 3, 2018 | 1.5/6 | 5.27[17] | TBD | TBD |
| 19 | "Dog Eat Dog World" | April 10, 2018 | 1.3/5 | 4.90[18] | 0.6 | 1.9[35] |
| 20 | "Fifty-Three Percent" | April 17, 2018 | 1.1/4 | 4.04[19] | TBD | TBD |
| 21 | "Blue Valentime" | May 1, 2018 | 1.2/5 | 4.45[20] | TBD | TBD |
| 22 | "Collateral Damage" | May 8, 2018 | 1.2/5 | 4.32[21] | TBD | TBD |
| 23 | "Dream Home" | May 15, 2018 | 1.2/5 | 4.96[22] | TBD | TBD |
References
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