The 'Black-ish' Spinoff Was Inspired by a Meme

Never let it be said that memes are a waste of time. It's thanks to one that we're getting a "Black-ish" spinoff.

Coming to Freeform in early 2018, "Grown-ish" will follow "Black-ish" character Zoey (Yara Shahidi) off to college. The idea for the second series came to creator Kenya Barris one day when he saw a meme on the subject, he told Variety at the show's premiere in Hollywood on Wednesday.

"It said, 'Where would Zoey go to college?'" he said. "I was like, 'This is a f---ing show.'"

That is all it took to create a "lightbulb moment" for Barris. He took the idea and ran with it as a way for them to look at the issues that face college kids today. With that in mind, they worked to portray "as honest an experience" as possible.

"I think that this generation has more on its shoulders than any different generation probably since, like, the Vietnam War," Barris previously told Buzzfeed. "And I think all that is at the core of what this show is."

It's fitting, then, that a creative tool of communication that so many millennials use ended up inspiring the show. Our memes matter -- that's the lesson we're taking away from this.

"Grown-ish" premieres Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform.

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