Animated Series ‘How To Be Black’ From Baratunde Thurston & Courtney Lilly In The Works At ABC

Baratunde Thurston is adapting his memoir How To Be Black as an animated series for ABC.

The Disney-owned network is developing the project with Thurston, host of the How To Citizen podcast, and Black-ish showrunner Lilly writing and exec producing.

More from Deadline

• 'The Goldbergs' Season 9 Premiere: Family Quests After Pops' Favorite Spot In George Segal Tribute

• 'Big Sky': Vinny Chhibber, Romy Rosemont & Patrick Gallagher Among 6 To Recur In Season 2 Of ABC Drama

• ABC Chief Craig Erwich: "We Want To Stay In Business With Jimmy Kimmel For Many Years To Come"

The project is also exec produced by Laurence Fishburne and Helen Sugland via Cinema Gypsy Productions. 20^th Television Animation is the studio.

Thurston’s memoir How to Be Black focuses on the community and family that raised a young Baratunde in 1980s Washington, D.C.

Lilly, who renewed his overall deal with ABC Signature earlier this year, is currently showrunning Black-ish, which is in its eighth and final season.

It marks a new move for ABC into the animated space; if the show is picked up, it would be the network’s first animated comedy series since The Goode Family in 2009.

Thurston is represented by Avalon Management, Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham, and UTA. Lilly is repped by UTA, The Framework Collective (TFC) Management and Mckuin Frankel Whitehead LLP.

Best of Deadline

• New On Hulu In October 2021: Daily Streaming Schedule For TV, Movies & More

• New On Disney+ For October: Daily Schedule Of Movies, TV & Originals

• Fall Premiere Dates For New & Returning TV Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.