‘Black Excellence’: Rashida Jones Cast as Lead of Kenya Barris’ First Netflix Original Comedy

After the better part of a year, Netflix now has its first official Kenya Barris show.

The streaming service announced on Friday that Rashida Jones has been cast in “Black Excellence,” an upcoming single-cam comedy from the creator of the ABC sitcom “black-ish.” The series is the opening piece of programming from Barris as part of his reported nine-figure development deal with Netflix, first revealed last August.

Friday’s announcement described the upcoming show this way: “Inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, ‘Black Excellence’ looks to pull the curtain back and reboot the ‘family sitcom’ in a way we’ve never seen before.”

The “Black Excellence” news comes just days after Jones’ previous TV show, the hilarious and unpredictable “Angie Tribeca” was canceled at TBS. In addition to that series, Jones has significant experience in TV comedy, with extended stints on both “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” Her next major TV role will be lending her voice to the Fox animated comedy “Duncanville,” expected to premiere this fall.

There’s no release date for “Black Excellence” yet, but Barris will still have a busy rest of the year. The latest on-screen iteration of “Shaft” will arrive in theaters next month, with Barris as a co-writer on the film.

“black-ish” continues to be a yearly awards contender for ABC. Starring Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson, the show has been nominated for Best Comedy at the Emmys for the last three years straight. It will wrap up its fifth season later this month.