Black-ish's best episodes address important, powerful issues.

Dre's perspective is almost always different from that of his wife, parents, children, and colleagues, leading to matters of race, family, and politics being discussed from multiple angles. Because Black-ish was generally a lighthearted comedy, when it delved into topics like police brutality, colorism, and women's health, the episodes carried even more weight. Luckily, the characters in Black-ish are played by talented actors who can deliver heartfelt scenes as well as humorous ones.

10 Hope

Season 2, Episode 16

The Johnson family gathers around the television to watch the coverage of a highly publicized court case involving alleged police brutality against a Black teenager. It is darkly funny that no one can keep the details of the case straight, confusing it with many similar cases. Black-ish's mixing of real-world examples with the fictional case is sobering. Dre's wife, Dr. Rainbow "Bow" Johnson (Tracee Ellis Ross), has the more optimistic view, wanting to believe in the justice system and shield their youngest kids from what is happening, but a dark mood gets darker when the officer is found not guilty.

Bow realizes she wants to be more realistic and Dre wants to be more hopeful for their children, so they decide to go to the protest as a family.

Riots break out in Los Angeles and Dre's young teenage son, Junior (Marcus Scribner) wants to , but his parents forbid it. Dre's mother Ruby (Jenifer Lewis), goes into riot-protection mode, shoring up the house for laughs, though it is based on her past experiences with L.A. riots. A surprisingly powerful moment comes from Dre's oldest daughter, Zoey (Yara Shahidi), who breaks down crying from her feeling of "hopelessness." Bow realizes she wants to be more realistic and Dre wants to be more hopeful for their children, so they decide to go to the protest as a family.

9 Being Bow-Racial

Season 3, Episode 8

Black-ish takes a break from Dre's narration to bring a point-of-view episode from Bow's perspective. Bow is biracial, but struggles with how to define herself. When Junior brings home his first girlfriend, everyone is thrilled - except Bow. Junior's girlfriend is white, which causes Bow to spiral. Bow consults her brother, Johan (Daveed Diggs), who reminds her that she has always struggled with not wanting to define herself as Black or white and code-switching depending on her friend group. Johan encourages her to take "self-inventory" about her racial identity.

Black-ish was in a unique position to tackle an issue like racial self-identity with nuance, humor, and heart. After three seasons of Ruby and Dre teasingly questioning Bow's blackness, it was powerful to get a whole episode addressing it from Bow's perspective. Bow does not want to reject either side of herself, but wants to feel empowered in how she defines herself. Bow's character gets a prequel series, and there are some things Mixed-ish does even better than Black-ish.

8 Lemons

Season 3, Episode 12

Two months after the 2016 election, Dre's coworkers want to find a group to blame for the election results. Dre is accused of "not caring," which leads to one of Black-ish's most moving monologues, this one set over Billie Holiday's heartbreaking song "Strange Fruit." Dre explains that Black people are used to not getting their way, and he is sorry if his more privileged colleagues are now experiencing the same fear and uncertainty Black people have endured for generations. Dre's speechifying to his coworkers is usually humorous, but this episode is sobering.

Black-ish uses its unique platform to bring a more holistic understanding of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech to network television.

Junior is assigned to give the speech at school, and his grandfather, Pops (Laurence Fishburne), explains that the full speech is more of a rallying cry to fight than a plea for peace, which shocks Junior. Fishburne brings his movie-star gravitas to explain that he wants his grandson to be knowledgeable but not angry. It's a powerful message that only Black-ish could deliver.

7 Sprinkles

Season 3, Episode 24

A pregnant Bow's trip to the hospital quickly spirals from a pesky headache to an emergency C-section to deliver the baby two months early. Bow takes such pride in being a mother and a doctor, so she tries to keep a brave face and optimistic outlook for Dre, but being on the other side of the surgical curtain causes Bow to have a breakdown. Dre is given the rare opportunity to be Bow's strength, assuring her that she will deliver the baby the same way she does everything - with grace and "great hair."

The unexpected medical emergency brings out the parental nature of Ruby and Pops. Ruby, who is usually insulting to Bow, becomes her champion at the hospital. Ruby even calls Bow her "daughter," although she claims Bow hallucinated that. Similarly, Pops sees a nervous Dre and is atypically gentle. Dre is worried about falling in love with a baby that might not survive, but Pops sagely advises him that he will regret not spending every moment he can with the child, perhaps reflecting on the time he missed during Dre's childhood.

6 Juneteenth

Season 4, Episode 1

Black-ish was inspired by Hamilton's modernized portrayal of American history and created "Juneteenth". Black-ish makes the history of the holiday accessible through the power of song. Dre tries to make Juneteenth more of a national celebration, making the compelling argument that the day the last of the slaves in the US were freed is America's truer independence day than the 4th of July, but he settles on his family embracing the day.

Black-ish played with format in this episode, including an animated musical sequence. The song "Freedom" points out the bittersweet truth that freedom does not mean equality. Former slaves were barred from starting businesses, getting loans, buying property, and eating at restaurants. Black-ish's episode is a reclamation of the importance of Juneteenth and a condemnation of only celebrating the parts of history that make white people feel comfortable.

5 Mother Nature

Season 4, Episode 2

Black-ish tackled a serious topic rarely addressed on television: postpartum depression. Bow, who usually tolerates Ruby's interference, reaches her breaking point when Ruby questions whether her breastmilk is healthy for the baby due to her postpartum medications. Bow, struggling with her mental health, finally asserts herself, saying to Ruby that she will never get better with her living under the same roof and telling her to leave. Later, Ruby returns to apologize to Bow, realizing she did cross a line. In a very moving confession, Ruby says Bow was not weak for seeking help, but Ruby was the weak one for not ing her.

Dre has to step up as a parent, and their older children notice Bow's struggle, which adds even more weight to the storyline. Pops often scoffs at Dre's involvement as a parent, but when Dre worries that Bow might never be her old self, Pops is surprisingly kind and complimentary. Pops praises how much Dre has done to Bow and keep the family going and advises him not to "borrow trouble". The Johnsons always step up for each other in crisis.

4 Fifty-Three Percent, Blue Valentine, Collateral Damage, Dream Home

Season 4, Episodes 20-23

Dre and Bow find themselves in a rut where they just cannot seem to connect. In "Fifty-Three Percent", they have a small victory when their baby takes his first steps, and in a typical sitcom episode, the relationship issues would magically resolve, never to be mentioned again, and the next episode would be back to Black-ish's funny quotes and gags. Instead, Black-ish makes the bold choice to devote four full episodes to the dissolution of Dre and Bow's marriage. Bow and Dre's relationship is the heartbeat of Black-ish, and it is hard to watch their playful banter become hurtful bickering.

"Blue Valentine" is a visually unique episode that cuts between Dre and Bow tensely getting through a kitchen remodel in the present, depicted in cool tones, and Dre's warm-toned flashbacks of happier times in that same kitchen. Ultimately in "Dream Home", when Dre has already moved out, Dre and Bow are brought back together when Bow's father es. While these episodes are a realistic portrayal of a marriage falling apart, it would have been nice to see more of their reconciliation on-screen as a reward for enduring the four emotionally grueling episodes.

3 Black Like Us

Season 5, Episode 10

Dre and Bow's daughter, Diane (Marsai Martin), is so poorly lit in her class photo compared to her white classmates and lighter-skinned twin that she can barely be seen. Black-ish uses its voice-over function to explain the historical context of colorism. Black-ish is in a unique position to discuss colorism authentically from multiple perspectives. Dre and Ruby, who have darker skin, have a different opinion than Bow and Junior, who have lighter skin. Black-ish even references real-world examples, like the altered photo of O.J. Simpson that highlighted racial biases in media.

Diane's noteworthy clapbacks in Black-ish take a pause to explore the ramifications of colorism.

Ultimately, Ruby shares a harrowing story about the discrimination she faced from her lighter-skinned family in childhood. The adults have been debating colorism in theory, but Diane has a practical decision to make, and hearing Ruby's story helps Diane realize she should not accept less, it's the school that "needs to do better." Black-ish take a pause to explore the ramifications of colorism.

2 Hero Pizza

Season 7, Episode 3

Set during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Hero Pizza" is about the realities of living through the shutdowns. Bow is a doctor and therefore an essential worker, proud to be saving lives but also struggling with everything she sees as well. Bow has a crisis when she realizes Junior, who has been performatively ive but has not been doing his part because he has been sneaking his girlfriend into the house, breaking their Covid bubble. Bow's speech about individual responsibility is humbling. Black-ish showing the importance and difficulties of being an essential worker is powerful.

Dre, who works as an ad executive, has the opposite problem. He is not an essential worker but wants to feel like he is contributing to the world. Dre's attempts to make a commercial for Dove soap feel profound resonates with the mania many people went through at the beginning of the world-from-home era.

1 If A Black Man Cries In The Wood

Season 8, Episode 12

Pops sees Junior going through heartbreak and Dre going through a midlife crisis, so Pops decides to take them on a hunting trip to get them out of their heads. Black-ish has three Black men from different generations who have radically different relationships to vulnerability. Dre tells Junior the world is not a safe space for Black men to cry, but Junior pushes back that at this moment, it's just them alone in the woods. After doing a trust exercise where they stare into each other's eyes, Dre tears up too, and sees the catharsis of sharing emotions.

Pops is more reticent to try, but around the campfire, he shares that he only ever saw his father cry once at a funeral. Once Pops opens himself up, the tears and apologies start flowing. They can love and each other while still being Black men. Shaking up the setting and taking them into a rural environment underscores the emotional performances of Fishburne, Anderson, and Scribner. This was a beautiful note for Black-ish's penultimate episode to end on.