Mark-Paul Gosselaar Joins ‘Black-ish’ Spinoff ‘Mixed-ish’ After ‘The Passage’ Cancellation

Black-ish spinoff series Mixed-ish has found its new daddy.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar has been cast as the male lead in the new ABC comedy, centered around the childhood of Rainbow Johnson, played by Tracee Ellis Ross in the flagship series. Gosselaar is set to play Bow’s father Paul Johnson, originally played by Anders Holm in the backdoor pilot episode.

Gosselaar’s casting news come after the cancellation of Fox vampire drama The Passage after one season, in which he starred as Brad Wolgast.

The actor started his acting career in comedy as one of the stars of Saved By the Bell. He then moved to more dramatic roles on shows such as NYPD Blue, Raising the Bar, Pitch and The Passage. He occasionally returned to comedy, leading the cast of NBC comedy series Truth Be Told and starring the TNT legal dreamed Franklin & Bash.

Mixed-ish, written by Peter Saji and Black-ish Kenya Barris, follows as Rainbow (Ross) recalls her experiences growing up in a mixed-race family in the ’80s and the constant dilemmas they had to face over whether to assimilate or stay true to themselves, Deadline writes.

Bow’s parents Paul (Gosselaar) and Alicia (Tika Sumpter) decide to move from a hippie commune to the suburbs to better provide for their family. As her parents struggle with the challenges of their new life, Bow and her siblings navigate a mainstream school in which they are seen as neither black or white.

The show also stars Arica Himmel as young Bow Johnson, Christina Anthony as Denise, Mykal-Michelle Harris as Santamonica Johnson and Ethan Childress as Johan Johnson.

The backdoor pilot was originally intended to air as an origin episode during the latest season of Black-ish this past spring. After the show got picked up to series, the episode was held back and will now air next season featuring Gosselaar as Paul.

Mixed-ish is the second spinoff to stem from the beloved ABC comedy series, but the first to stay at ABC. The show previously inspired Grown-ish, a series currently in its second season at Freeform and centered around the Johnsons’ eldest daughter Zoey (Yada Shahidi) as she navigates her college years. The series is set to feature influencer Jordyn Woods in her acting debut later this year.

Mixed-ish is set to premiere in fall 2019 on ABC. Black-ish will return for a new season in the fall, and Grown-ish is currently airing new episodes Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.