#blackAF

“Black-ish” has, historically, been a really good show in part because of those guardrails. “#blackAF” is a fiasco only interesting in the degree to which it detonates and, retroactively, somewhat spoils Barris’s work so far.

Though the words “Unapologetically. Unforgettably. Unabashedly. Unforgivably” scroll across its opening credits, Kenya Barris’ newest series “#blackAF” (with eight episodes premiering Friday) is anything but.

It feels like a kind of confessional — although it rarely rises above surface-level self-aggrandizing — and it meanders due to the absence of a clearly expressed series arc.

Though #blackAF is frequently very smart, and at times explosively funny, the comparisons it constantly invites to Barris’ previous work can be terribly distracting.

The easy instinct is to call #blackAF Barris' Curb Your Enthusiasm, but I don't think Larry David has ever truly used his HBO comedy as self-exposing therapy in the way that Barris does here.

The result can be very funny at times. It’s just unfortunate that the traditional family sitcom Barris is “rebooting” is his own, which is still on the air and enjoyed by millions every Tuesday.

This is a show about the black experience, yes, but it’s also about the 1%, and to me, that makes for an interesting combination, one that allows for both conversation and occasional controversy.

The cast handles the whip-smart dialogue perfectly. It’s hardly a surprise Barris and Rashida Jones are terrific, but it ain’t easy finding a half-dozen young to very young actors who are so authentic, so skilled at comedic timing, so good at creating original characters who are believable even in his heightened comedic atmosphere.