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Is the fantastic ABC sitcom temporarily turning into "The Young and the Black-ish"?

I don't know of any long-running sitcom that hasn't gone into a bit of a slump, as it continually attempts to generate interest for their viewers. Some change cast members. Others give the romance angle a try. With the ABC hit show, Black-ish, however, over the past couple weeks, it's taken a drastic turn from topical comedy to soap opera. This past week's episode, "Blue Valentime," in particular felt out of place. While Black-ish has done an extraordinary job to this point in balancing comedy with the tackling of hot topics in the world of current events, that wasn't the case with the most recent episode, where I didn't laugh once. There was honestly nothing to laugh about, not even in an uncomfortable manner. All it showed us were the struggles of the two leads, ending with the two temporarily (at this point) separating. Sure, if the show goes back to expertly balancing comedy and drama, this single moment may appear to just be a blip on the radar at the end of the day. I have a difficult time believing that's the case, however. Why devote an entire episode and a decent chunk of another completely shifting the show's tone and narrative, only to instantly go back to what it was originally? Black-ish is an incredibly good and important show, especially in today's divisive America. I sincerely hope the writers know what they're doing here, because the past couple of episodes have been risky, and if they continue down this soap opera path for much longer, I can all but guarantee they'll start losing some viewers, including this one.

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