Mark-Paul Gosselaar has joined ABC’s “Mixed-ish,” as the father of young Bow, replacing Anders Holm who was initially set for the role.
The “Black-ish” spinoff stars Arica Himmel as a 12-year version of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow Johnson from the flagship series. It will premiere next season.
Per ABC, the new series will see Rainbow Johnson recount “her experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the ’80s and the constant dilemmas they had to face over whether to assimilate or stay true to themselves. Bow’s parents Paul and Alicia decide to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs to better provide for their family. As her parents struggle with the challenges of their new life, Bow and her siblings navigate a mainstream school in which they’re perceived as neither black nor white. This family’s experiences illuminate the challenges of finding one’s own identity when the rest of the world can’t decide where you belong.”
Tika Sumpter, Christina Anthony, Mykal-Michelle Harris and Ethan Childress are also set to star in the ABC Studios series.
“Black-ish” executive producer Peter Saji and creator Kenya Barris are writers and executive producers on the spinoff along with Ross, Randall Winston, Brian Dobbins, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland and Anthony Anderson.
“Mixed-ish” marks the third show in the “Black-ish” universe, following the Yara Shahidi-led “Grown-ish,” which is heading into its second season on ABC’s sister network Freeform this summer. The new spinoff was originally planned to be introduced via a backdoor pilot titled “Becoming Bow” later this season, but the episode will now be held for next season.