I have watched the first 5 episodes, and so far I love Mixed-ish! I am not black nor did I grow up in the 80's, but I still enjoy everything this show has to offer. The story follows 12-year old Bow and her mixed family when they move from a hippy commune to a suburb, as they try to fit in to their new world while maintaining their old values. It is definitely an interesting scenario that hasn't really been done before. Each family member faces their own issues in their new community: The kids try to fit in at school where everyone else is either black or white, their mother Alicia tries to earn respect at work from her all-male, all-white colleagues, and their father Paul tries to earn respect from his own wealthy father as a stay-at-home dad. As the show continues, it seems like the issues also become more nuanced.
It definitely exaggerates some stereotypes. The grandfather is the stereotypical rich white conservative, and their aunt Denise is the stereotypical hard-working, sassy black woman. But, you have to understand that their characters are purposefully exaggerated to emphasize the issues that Bow's family dealt with, especially being caught between those two worlds. (And coming from the commune, this was the children's first experience with popular society, so of course everything seems extreme to them.)
Tracee Ellis Ross, as the narrator, also inserts occasional mini-lessons of black history, which I really enjoy. Aside from the more serious issues, the show is dappled with humor, especially from the two younger children, Johan and Santamonica. In the end, Mixed-ish is a comedy about a loving family who try to find their place in American society, and all the issues and joys that come with that.
