Anthony Anderson Talks 'Bittersweet' Final Season of 'Black-ish' and New Prank Show With Mom (Exclusive)

The ABC series was renewed for an eighth and final season on May 14.

The end of Black-ish is near, and Anthony Anderson is anticipating a rough time.

ABC renewed its Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated sitcom for an eighth and final season on May 14, an announcement that creator and executive producer Kenya Barris called "both exciting and bittersweet." Anderson finds that description very apt as production on the final installment nears an end.

"It's still in the bittersweet stage, we're halfway done with the season," he told ET's Kevin Frazier on the red carpet of the 2021 Emmy Awards on Sunday. "So, I think a few more episodes down the line it's gonna start getting sad for us but right now we're still [feeling] bittersweet."

Of course, when one door closes, another one opens! Oct. 7 marks the premiere of Anderson's new show, House Haunters. Hosted by the actor and his real-life mother, Doris Bowman, the Discovery+ series is described as a "hidden camera real estate and home renovation prank series." 

"My mama scared the hell out of me growing up, but, you know, this is something [she] always wanted to do and it just didn't happen for her. She was a young actress who had to put her dreams on hold to raise an actor, not knowing what she was doing," he shared. "So for me to be in the position, to be able to allow her to live out her dreams finally, it's a beautiful thing."

Anderson and TV wife Tracee Ellis Ross spoke with ET back in June, where they shared how hard it would be to say goodbye to their TV family. 

"It'll be hard," Ross said at the Rose Bowl during their drive-in style screening and panel of Black-ish. "I will tell you what the most beautiful thing is. I don't know about you, Anthony, but I've never had the opportunity to walk into a final season knowing it's the final season. So, being able to take in all of the beauty of it and all of the things we've appreciated all of these years but then really be awake to it -- I'm looking forward to that and I know it's going to be hard."

"We will be mourning," Anderson added. "It's gonna be hard every day because we know it's the end."

When it comes to how the series will officially end, Ross and Anderson played coy but offered some ideas for fans to contemplate. Anderson suggested that Devante, the youngest Johnson, age from toddler to grown man throughout a single episode, emerging as a 22-year-old. Ross admitted she would like to see Jenifer Lewis' Ruby move out of the family home. 

"I'll be honest... I want this show to close out with all the love that we have all the time," she added. "I originally was interested in this role because there was something so special about seeing a sitcom husband and wife that not only loved each other but liked each other. And that's what it's remained...I would love to see that love continue."

The 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, aired live Sunday, Sept. 19 on CBS and Paramount+. For complete Emmys coverage, stay tuned to ETonline.com.

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