Junior embarks on his journey to being 'grown' at Cal U in this exclusive trailer for 'Grown-ish' season 5.
The Johnsons are back! Fans may have said goodbye to Black-ish after its series finale in April, but a new chapter for the fictional family kicks off with season five of its Freeform spinoff, Grown-ish, and ET is exclusively premiering the new chapter's trailer.
Franchise star Marcus Scribner has officially joined his TV sister, Yara Shahidi, on the spinoff, reprising his role as Andre Johnson Jr. (aka Junior) as he embarks on his own journey to being "grown," and we can tell from the trailer that it's going to be a trip.
Sibling shenanigans ensue as Junior adapts to leaving behind the "real world" of a 9-5 to attend Cal U, which entails making his connections as a freshman on campus. That includes getting intimately close with Luca’s little sister Kiela (Daniella Perkins), in a moment interrupted by his big sister. Cue some appropriately panicked screaming.
Grown-ish's season 4 finale saw Zoey and her friends graduate from the California University of Liberal Arts, marking the start of their lives in the real world. It also marked the exit of the show's six original cast members, including Francia Raisa (Ana), Emily Arlook (Nomi), Chloe Bailey (Jazz), Luka Sabbat (Luca), Halle Bailey (Sky) and Jordan Buhat (Vivek).
Shahidi, Diggy Simmons (Doug) and Trevor Jackson (Aaron) return for the fifth season to explore their post-grad adventures, including Aaron's new role as a professor at the university.
But the season won't be absent of our favorite Cal U graduates! The trailer shows glimpses of Nomi, Ana and Vivek returning to celebrate with their friends and hints at a romantic development between the latter two. (We see the hand-holding!)
Of course, a new beginning means a new gang, and Junior's squad of friends has a few familiar faces, including Perkins' Kiela, who returns as a series regular. The sophomore is looking to make a mark on campus away from the shadow of her superstar big brother.
The rest of the new crew includes: Tara Raani plays Zaara, a first-generation Muslim-American sophomore who is a type-A overachiever with a lot of swagger; Justine Skye, who plays Annika, a funny, sharp, and extremely ambitious freshman who chose Cal U because it was good for her brand; Amelie Zilber who plays Lauryn, a freshman who is a little shy and awkward, and sometimes a bit naive, so she overcompensates in an attempt to mask her insecurities; Ceyair Wright, who plays Zeke, a contemporary all-American football player who is super confident and comfortable in his skin, but still endearing; Matthew Sato, who plays Brandon, a sophomore at Cal U with eyes set on a political future, who is charming as hell, smart, and an overachiever who's comfortable in any situation; and Slick Woods, who plays Slick, a freshman style icon who tells it like it is.
When ET spoke with the cast on the red carpet of the 39th Annual PaleyFest LA, Scribner said he's "pumped" to tackle the new environment with his character.
"I'm excited to continue that story for Junior and see where he goes and how he evolves as a character," he told ET. "I just love the fact that our writers are able to allow our characters to grow 'cause, you know, with a lot of sitcom characters, they stay still, they have the same one line for the rest of it. But Junior has been able to grow as a character and he's going to keep growing in Grown-ish so it really is the natural evolution."
That's a sentiment Shahidi agrees with, sharing that she's always advocating to bring more of her fictional family members to the spinoff. And when it comes to the departure of her co-stars, the actress has nothing but excitement for her friends' next steps.
"I'm really excited by the way our family's extending and I think one thing we knew to be true about a show like Grown-ish is it's special to get a group of people like that together and everyone has blossomed in such incredible ways that I feel like the cast will be around forever," she said, pointing out all the ways her former co-stars have taken the next step in their careers.
From Chloe branching into solo music and Halle racking up feature film roles to Francia nabbing a lead role on Hulu's How I Met Your Father, it's clear that the cast of Grown-ish is ready to take on the industry.
"I think what feels great is that Grown-ish has been a part of everybody's growth journey and I think it's been great to be a part of a cast where we're so excited to watch what the next step is for everyone," Yara added. "It's not about stagnating here, this is just a stopping ground."
Shahidi, Kenya Barris, Zakiyyah Alexander, Courtney Lilly, Craig Doyle, Anthony Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, E. Brian Dobbins and Michael Petok all serve as executive producers. Award-winning playwright and producer Zakiyyah Alexander and Black-ish executive producer and showrunner Courtney Lilly serve as co-showrunners.
Season 5 of grown-ish will premiere on Wednesday, July 20, at 10 p.m.
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