Grown-ish
Wednesday, 8 p.m., Freeform
“Black-ish” star Yara Shahidi isn’t even in college yet, but her spinoff sitcom, “Grown-ish” — featuring her university-bound character, Zoey Johnson — is giving her a preview of what to expect.
“Part of me feels like, ‘Am I coming in a little more prepared because I’ve got fake college experience?,’” Shahidi says (she is currently taking a gap year before heading to Harvard in the fall of 2018). “I’ll tell my friends in actual college, ‘So, this is what Zoey’s getting into this week.’ And they’ll be, like, ‘Yup, that happens.’” Zoey navigates some universal experiences for incoming students in the series premiere, such as making new friends (not as easy as she thought), avoiding roommate drama (ditto) and dealing with her sobbing father, Andre (Anthony Anderson), who can’t quite believe his little girl has left the nest.
Shahidi, 17, spoke with The Post by phone the week before Christmas, before heading to Cancun for a family vacation.
Have you enjoyed the new series’ focus on Zoey?
That was a fun challenge because Zoey for the past three seasons [on “Black-ish”] — even though she definitely evolved — we haven’t seen her in many environments other than her home. It really was as though I was creating a new character. It was fun to do that kind of rapid development.
How different is Zoey’s life away from home?
Within the context of “Black-ish,” she’s been very protected. She has to reinvent the wheel she thought she knew so well. She goes from having run the social scene at her high school to an environment in which no one knows who she is, and she doesn’t have the same type of control of her surroundings. It begs the bigger question: Amidst all of these changes, who is she?
Besides Dre, will other family members cross over between “Black-ish” and “Grown-ish”?
I will be on “Black-ish” for a couple episodes. My family, there are mentions and random appearances on “Grown-ish.” There is still a sense of interconnectedness between the two shows.
Will you be free to start at Harvard next fall?
I have the commitment to the spinoff, so given that I’m turning 18 next year, there’s a possibility I’ll defer another year.
You hope to concentrate on social studies and African-American studies. What do you want to do in those areas?
I describe what I want to do in the future as being policy-adjacent, which can be translated in many ways. An obvious translation is possibility working in a nonprofit space.
Does that include politics?
Politics-adjacent, too. I want to be next to Capitol Hill, not on it.
— Eric Hegedüs
And here’s what else to watch this week:
Bull
Tuesday, 9 p.m., CBS
Bull (Michael Weatherly) represents teen Jemma Whitbeck (Chloe Levine), arrested for robbing a jewelry store with an older man. To persuade the jury she is not guilty, Bull argues that she was not a willing accomplice.
Better Late Than Never
Monday, 9 p.m., NBC
Season premiere. This travelogue featuring famous men of a certain age kicks off in Germany where Terry Bradshaw (below, far right) has gone in search of his Viking roots with cohorts (from left) William Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman and Jeff Dye. But it’s not all fun and games when the guys take an etiquette class that turns into a complete disaster.
The Good Place
Thursday, 8:30 p.m., NBC
A visitor surprises Michael (Ted Danson). Meanwhile, “Good Place” denizens Eleanor (Kristen Bell), Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) attempt to solve a riddle.
Will & Grace
Thursday, 9 p.m., NBC
Will (Eric McCormack, below left) and Grace (Debra Messing, below right) tell themselves they are OK dating the same man (Nick Offerman, below center). Meanwhile, Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Mullally) go to the ER when they get a jingle stuck in their heads.
LA to Vegas
Tuesday, 9 p.m., Fox
Series premiere. Jackpot Airlines, an outfit that flies weekend gamblers from LA to Las Vegas, is the setting for this workplace comedy. TV series veteran Dylan McDermott stars as Captain Dave, a rogue who is perhaps too friendly with the passengers, many of whom feel connected by their common interest in striking it rich.
The X-Files
Wednesday, 8 p.m., Fox
Season premiere. Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) learn that they aren’t the only ones desperately searching for their long-lost son, William. The very fate of the world may depend on it.
9-1-1
Wednesday, 9 p.m., Fox
Series premiere. America’s first responders are the heroes of this new drama. Angela Bassett stars as Detective Athena Grant. She communicates with 911 operator Abby Clark (Connie Britton) and firefighter Bobby Nash (Peter Krause, below top) who tries to save a woman (Sarah Hay) from being strangled by her pet python.
