8.6/10159 votesLoading...#1 - If a Black Man Cries in the Woods...
Season 8 Episode 12 - Aired 4/12/2022
Pops, Dre and Junior go on a "man trip" to heal old wounds. Meanwhile, Diane and Jack contemplate their futures as they look at their college wish lists.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.3/10751 votesLoading...#2 - Hope
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 2/24/2016
When the kids ask some tough questions in the midst of a highly publicized court case involving alleged police brutality and an African-American teenager, Dre and Bow are conflicted on how best to field them. Dre, along with Pops and Ruby, feel the kids need to know what kind of world they’re living in, while Bow would like to give them a more hopeful view about life. When the verdict is announced, the family handles the news in different ways while watching the community react.
Director: Beth McCarthy-Miller
Writer: Kenya Barris
8.2/10280 votesLoading...#3 - Black Like Us
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 1/15/2019
Dre and Bow are furious after Diane isn’t lit properly in her class photo. Diane doesn’t want to make it a big deal, but they decide to talk to the principal about the need for sensitivity toward all complexions. Meanwhile, Junior claims there is unspoken colorism within their own family, and things get heated.
Director: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Writer: Peter Saji
8.1/10600 votesLoading...#4 - Lemons
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/2017
The nation is still reeling after the outcome of the presidential election, and tensions are particularly high at Dre’s work. Much to his frustration, they haven’t been able to get anything done since election night – eight weeks ago. Meanwhile, Junior is dealing with a disenfranchised student body as class president, and when he is asked to deliver Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at school, Pops teaches him there is more to the speech than Junior thought.
Director: Kenya Barris
Writer: Kenya Barris
7.9/10391 votesLoading...#5 - The Word
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/2015
Jack performs the song “Gold Digger” at a school talent show and when he sings a lyric that includes THE word, it leads to his possible expulsion from school. Dre and Bow work together to get him reinstated, and along the way, examine the evolution of THE word through the generations and just who, if anyone, has the right to use it.
Director: Matt Sohn
Writer: Kenya Barris
7.9/10349 votesLoading...#6 - Mother Nature
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 10/10/2017
Bow is feeling overwhelmed after the birth of DeVante and learns she is suffering from postpartem depression. Dre urges her to get help and stands by her side while she works through it. Meanwhile, the kids babyproof the house in an effort to help their parents out
Director: Ken Whittingham
Writer: Corey Nickerson
7.9/10236 votesLoading...#7 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 3/13/2018
Dre and Bow confront gender biases of their own after finding out that both Junior and Zoey have become sexually active. Meanwhile, Ruby is hurt when she finds out that Jack and Diane have been hanging out with a friend’s grandmother after school.
Director: Gail Lerner
Writer: Steven White
7.8/10287 votesLoading...#8 - The Purge
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/2016
After Junior embarrasses Dre during a basketball game, Dre decides to remind Junior of his master pranking skills so he’ll never challenge him again. Meanwhile, the neighborhood participates in a “mischief night” during Halloween where petty crimes become legal, and Ruby takes it too far with the kids.
Director: Matt Sohn
Writer: Lindsey Shockley
7.8/10296 votesLoading...#9 - Being Bow-racial
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/30/2016
Bow must address unresolved feelings about her own biracial identity when Junior brings home his first girlfriend, who happens to be white. Dre is handling a big project for a client at work and relies on Charlie to teach him how to relate to the campaign’s white, female point-person. Meanwhile, Zoey needs extra credit for her design class, and asks Jack and Diane if she can remodel their room.
Director: Kevin Bray
Writer: Jenifer Rice-Genzuk
7.7/10507 votesLoading...#10 - The Nod
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2014
Dre tries to help Andre Jr. expand his social circle. Rainbow tries to inspire Diane.
Director: James Griffiths
Writer: Kenya Barris
7.7/10342 votesLoading...#11 - The Dozens
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/25/2015
Dre teaches Andre Jr. how to trash-talk a school bully, Diane is afraid of the dark.
Director: Millicent Shelton
Writer: N/A
7.7/10324 votesLoading...#12 - The Real World
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 4/8/2015
Bow invites her friends from college to an elaborate dinner party in hopes of impressing them; Dre learns a lot about Bow's past; the kids decide to create their own reality show by documenting the party.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10286 votesLoading...#13 - Dr. Hell No
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/2015
After Dre gets his yearly physical and comes home traumatized, Pops explains his generation's strong aversion towards healthcare and admits that he hasn't seen a doctor in years. Shocked by this disclosure, Dre and Bow try to convince Pops to get a check-up and he begrudgingly agrees. When Pops finds out he has a clogged artery and needs a small procedure, the rest of The Johnson family handles the news in different ways.
Director: Millicent Shelton
Writer: Gail Lerner
7.7/10263 votesLoading...#14 - The Leftovers
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 4/6/2016
When Dre and Bow realize they don't have a legal guardian for their kids, they make it their mission to find replacement parents should anything happen to them. Meanwhile, Zoey and Junior reveal the truth to Jack about their old dog's death and other family secrets he naively accepted.
Director: Linda Mendoza
Writer: Hale Rothstein
7.7/10241 votesLoading...#15 - One Angry Man
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/22/2017
Dre is forced to participate in jury duty after Junior responds to the summons that was thrown away. The case is supposed to be open and shut, but when Dre sees that the defendant is a young African American, he feels a civic responsibility to give him a fair trial. Meanwhile, Bow decides to let the kids swear in the house since they are more open with her that way, but she and Ruby soon regret the decision.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10259 votesLoading...#16 - Sprinkles
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 5/10/2017
Initially wary, Dre embraces throwing Bow’s baby shower and wants it to be unforgettable. However, his plans are put on hold when Bow stops by the OB/GYN with a headache and discovers she is having complications.
Director: Eva Longoria
Writer: Laura Gutin
7.7/10108 votesLoading...#17 - The (Almost) Last Dance
Season 8 Episode 11 - Aired 4/5/2022
Pops and Ruby announce they are moving out of the house to travel the United States in their RV, garnering mixed reactions from the Johnson family. When Bow realizes she is beginning perimenopause, Dre enlists her mother’s help.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/10166 votesLoading...#18 - Homegoing
Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 4/19/2022
As Pops and Ruby prepare to move away, Dre and Bow consider if they should make a big life change as well. Grappling with this idea at work, Dre receives some unexpected advice from Simone Biles, who tells him to follow his heart. The Johnsons prepare for their goodbyes in the series finale.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.6/10455 votesLoading...#19 - Crime and Punishment
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/22/2014
Rainbow and Dre agree they will no longer spank their children.
Director: Claire Scanlon
Writer: Corey Nickerson
7.6/10263 votesLoading...#20 - Old Digger
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/2016
Dre has never had a problem with Pops dating, but when it comes to Ruby, he won't let anyone come between them. When Ruby invites Dre and Bow to meet the new man in her life, Dre immediately goes on the defensive and finds any reason to dislike him. Once Pops learns that Ruby's suitor is the real deal, he comes up with a plan to distract her. Meanwhile, Junior meets a girl on a dating site, and Zoey, Jack and Diane convince him he's being scammed, so they devise a plan to meet "the girl" in person.
Director: Linda Mendoza
Writer: Steven White
7.6/10274 votesLoading...#21 - Sink or Swim
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 2/10/2016
After Dre notices that his neighbor Janine has never invited his family to any of her pool parties, he assumes she is racially stereotyping them as a family that doesn’t swim. The kids are shocked to find out that, in fact, Dre doesn’t know how to swim. At work, Dre shares the story with his colleagues, and Daphne Lido is not convinced it’s a race thing, so Dre confronts Janine directly. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane are a part of the Girls’ and Boys’ Rovers Organization, and they envy each other’s activities.
Director: Michael Schultz
Writer: Gail Lerner
7.6/10246 votesLoading...#22 - Daddy Dre-Care
Season 2 Episode 23 - Aired 5/4/2016
The flu is going around the Johnson household, and with things in flux at work, Dre tries to avoid catching the bug at all costs. Dre has to step up and take care of the whole family. Ruby is in quarantine with Bow, and she learns a lot about her mother-in-law. Meanwhile, the kids want Bow to take care of them and resist Dre’s help.
Director: Kenya Barris
Writer: Jonathan Groff
7.6/10259 votesLoading...#23 - Advance to Go (Collect $200)
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 10/24/2017
Dre brings everyone together for a rowdy family game night and the competition is fierce. The game of choice is Monopoly and as the night progresses, alliances are formed and some are pushed to their limits. Meanwhile, Bow makes it clear how she feels about Junior’s girlfriend, Megan.
Director: Anton Cropper
Writer: Gail Lerner
7.6/10232 votesLoading...#24 - First and Last
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 11/7/2017
Diane experiences a big life event toward becoming a woman and Bow, Ruby, Zoey and Alicia are there to support her. Meanwhile, afraid that he may never be able to beat Junior at basketball again, Dre conducts psychological warfare on Junior before challenging him to a game.
Director: Linda Mendoza
Writer: Laura Gutin
7.6/10276 votesLoading...#25 - Purple Rain
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 11/13/2018
The family is shocked to learn that Jack and Diane are not familiar with the iconic music of Prince. One by one, each member of the family works to explain Prince’s tremendous impact on their lives through his music.
Director: Charles Stone III
Writer: Peter Saji
The Best Episodes of black-ish
Every episode of black-ish ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of black-ish!
A family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood.
Genre:Comedy
Network:ABC
Best Episodes Summary
"If a Black Man Cries in the Woods..." is the best rated episode of "black-ish". It scored 8.6/10 based on 159 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 4/12/2022. This episode scored 0.3 points higher than the second highest rated, "Hope".