Logically, Zoey makes the most sense of any black-ish regular to get a spinoff. Sitcoms require more than just logic, but she's off to a promising, if not uproarious start.
A kleptomaniacal heart isn't the only or even the main problem with Grown-ish. Unlike its progenitor Black-ish, which sparkles with anarchic wit, Grown-ish feels forced, populated by stock characters reading lines delivered on a sweatshop assembly line.
I think I can spot the fine show that Grown-ish may be evolving into, or at least latch onto the potential. But as its title is meant to imply about its college-age characters, it's a show that's not quite grown, still trying to make it on its own.
Taken on its own, Grown-ish has its charms, beginning with Shahidi, who captures the excitement of her new freedom as well as the vulnerability in being out on her own.
It's a diverse group and a talented one. Many series with young casts filled with new faces have at least one weak spot, but like Dear White People before it, this college comedy seems to have put together one helluva squad.
