''The Neighborhood'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

television series created by Jim Reynolds that premiered on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on October 1, 2018. The series follows a white Midwestern family as they adjust to moving into a predominantly black neighborhood in Pasadena, California. It stars

Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' in 1995. He is ...

Max Greenfield Max Greenfield (born September 4, 1979) is an American actor. He appeared in recurring roles in ''Veronica Mars'' and ''Ugly Betty''. He co-starred as Schmidt in the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', for which he received nominations at the Primetime Em ...

, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears, Hank Greenspan,

Tichina Arnold Tichina Rolanda Arnold (; born June 28, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actor, appearing in supporting roles in ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986) and '' How I Got into College'' (1989) before being cast a ...

, and

Beth Behrs Elizabeth Ann Behrs (born December 26, 1985) is an American actress known for her starring role as Caroline Channing in the CBS comedy series ''2 Broke Girls''. The show ran for six seasons and earned Behrs praise and nominations for the Teen an ...

. Five seasons of the show have aired so far. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a sixth season.

Premise

''The Neighborhood'' follows Dave Johnson, the "nicest guy in the Midwest", who moves his white family into a tough, predominantly African American neighborhood in L.A., where not everyone appreciates his extreme neighborliness. That includes their new next-door neighbor Calvin Butler.

Cast and characters

Main

as Calvin Butler, Tina's husband and Malcolm and Marty's father. He owns an auto repair shop called Calvin's Pit Stop, until selling it in Season 5. *

as Dave Johnson, Gemma's husband and Grover's father. He is a professional conflict mediator, a military veteran, and a graduate of

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

in Kalamazoo, Michigan. *

as Tina Butler, Calvin's wife and Malcolm and Marty's mother. She was once an aspiring singer, then worked the front desk at Calvin's auto shop before starting her own cupcake business. In season 5, Tina accepts a part-time job as music teacher at Gemma's school. *

as Gemma Johnson, Dave's wife and Grover's mother. Her new job as principal at a private school in Los Angeles is the reason for the Johnson family moving to California. * Sheaun McKinney as Malcolm Butler, Calvin and Tina's older son. He was once a professional baseball player working his way through the minor leagues until an injury ended his career. He had trouble finding steady employment until Marty got him a job as a security guard at JPL in season 2. In season 4, he is hired as the hitting coach for the USC baseball team. * Marcel Spears as Marty Butler, Calvin and Tina's younger son. He is a successful engineer at JPL with several nerdy hobbies and interests. Chronically unlucky in love, Marty meets a boxer named Necie in season 4 and gets engaged to her, only to have the engagement end in season 5, shortly before their wedding date. * Hank Greenspan as Grover Johnson, Dave and Gemma's son who is initially an elementary school student. He begins middle school in season 5.

Recurring

* Malik S. as Trey, Malcolm's friend; it was later revealed that his real name is Leslie *

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

as Que, the owner of the barbershop that Calvin and Dave frequent. *

Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He voiced the character of Uncle Ruckus on '' The Boondocks'', and a number of video game characters. He also appeared on the television series '' Weeds'' ...

as Ernie, an old friend of Calvin's who runs a neighborhood bar. * Sloan Robinson as Old Miss Kim, a grumpy neighbor who enjoys the company of younger men. *

Chelsea Harris Chelsea Harris (born March 30, 1990) is an American actress best known for roles on ''Designated Survivor'' and ''Snowpiercer''. Currently, she stars on '' The Neighborhood'' as Necie.'' Career Chelsea Harris had a recurring appearance as Tricia ...

as Necie, a female boxer and Marty's girlfriend, later ex-fiancé. * Sean Larkins as Randall, the mailman

Notable guests

Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor, comedian, and impressionist. He has voiced the Brain in '' Animaniacs'' as well as its spin-off '' Pinky and the Brain'', Big Bob in ''Hey Arnold!'' (1996–2004), and a variety of ...

as HandyRandy79 ("Welcome to the Repipe") *

Juliette Goglia Juliette Rose Goglia (born September 22, 1995) is an American actress, singer and musician. She is best known for portraying Sierra in the Disney Channel series ''That's So Raven'', Hannah West in the CBS series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' ...

as Meadow ("Welcome to Game Night") *

Marilu Henner Mary Lucy Denise Henner is an American actress. She began her career appearing in the original production of the musical '' Grease'' in 1971, before making her screen debut in the 1977 comedy-drama film '' Between the Lines''. In 1977, Henner wa ...

as Paula ("Welcome to Thanksgiving") *

Alexandra Chando Alexandra Chando (born July 28, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Maddie Coleman in the CBS soap opera, ''As the World Turns'' and for her dual role as identical twins, Emma Becker and Sutton Mercer in the ABC Family dr ...

as Chloe ("Welcome to the Dinner Guest") *

Jeris Lee Poindexter Jeris Lee Poindexter (born December 22, 1950) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his recurring role as Kill Moves on the UPN/The CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris ''Everybody Hates Chris'' is an American television s ...

as Tommy ("Welcome to the Stolen Sneakers") *

Mandell Maughan Mandell Maughan is a Portuguese-American film and television actress. She is best known for starring as Maggie in '' Me, Myself & I'' on CBS and Lisa Casper in ''Resident Alien'' on Syfy. She also played Victoria King, for four seasons, in the ...

as Lyndsey ("Welcome to the Fundraiser") *

Jim Meskimen James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games. Early life James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...

as Dr. Bancroft ("Welcome to the Fundraiser") *

Marla Gibbs Marla Gibbs (born Margaret Theresa Bradley; June 14, 1931) is an American actress, singer, comedian, writer and television producer, whose career spans six decades. Gibbs is known for her role as George Jefferson's maid, Florence Johnston, in th ...

as Miss Simpson ("Welcome to the Yard Sale") *

Josh Brener Joshua Max Brener is an American actor. He played the roles of Kyle on the IFC series ''Maron'' and Nelson "Big Head" Bighetti on the HBO series ''Silicon Valley''. In animation, he provides the voices of Donatello on ''Rise of the Teenage Muta ...

as Trevor ("Welcome to Malcolm's Job") *

Geoff Stults Geoffrey Manton Stults (born December 15, 1977) is an American actor. His first regular roles on television included '' 7th Heaven'', '' October Road'', and '' Happy Town''. He went on to star as Major Walter Sherman on '' The Finder'', Sgt. Pete ...

as Logan ("Welcome to Logan #2") *

Jim O'Heir Jim O'Heir (born February 4, 1962) is an American actor and comedian, perhaps best known for portraying Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation''. O'Heir first became active in Chicago theater and improv during the late 1980s ...

as Maynard ("Welcome to the Camping Trip") *

Brian Thomas Smith Brian Thomas Smith (born May 13, 1977) is an American actor and comedian known for playing the dim-witted but kind-hearted Zack Johnson in ''The Big Bang Theory'' for nine seasons. He has also made other TV appearances on '' Fear Factor'', ''Tw ...

as Ed ("Welcome to the Bully") *

Kym Whitley Kym Elizabeth Whitley is an American comedian and actress. She is best known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as '' My Brother and Me'', '' Sparks'', ''Animal Practice'', '' The Boondocks'', ''Young & Hungry'', ''The Parkers'', ...

as LaTonya ("Welcome to Bowling"; "Welcome to the Invasion") *

Cocoa Brown Farah "Cocoa" Brown (born October 9, 1972) is an American actress, writer and comedian. Life and career Brown was born as Farah Brown in Newport News, Virginia. She attended and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also has a M ...

as Regina ("Welcome to Bowling"; "Welcome to the Invasion") *

Edy Ganem Edurne Ganem, known professionally as Edy Ganem, is an American actress, known for her role as Valentina Diaz in the Lifetime comedy-drama series ''Devious Maids''. Life and career Ganem was born in Modesto, California and raised in Torre ...

as Sofia ("Welcome to the Dealbreaker"; "Welcome to the Trivia Night"; "Welcome to the Commercial") * Deborah Baker Jr. as Brittany ("Welcome to the Freeloader"; "Welcome to the Turnaround") *

Victor Williams Victor L. Williams (born September 19, 1970) is an American actor best known as Doug Heffernan's (Kevin James) best friend Deacon Palmer on ''The King of Queens.'' He has also appeared on several other hit TV shows, including '' Homicide: Life ...

as Pastor Don ("Welcome to the New Pastor") * Ashleigh Hairston as Kiera ("Welcome to the New Pastor"; "Welcome to the Bad Review") *

Riki Lindhome Erika "Riki" Lindhome (born March 5, 1979) is an American actress, comedian, and musician. She is best known as a singer and songwriter for the comedy folk duo Garfunkel and Oates. After making her television debut in 2002 with minor roles in t ...

as Kristen ("Welcome to the Jump") *

Richard Gant Richard Edward Gant (born March 10, 1944) is an American actor. His credits include the film '' Rocky V (1990)'', where he played the Don King-esque George Washington Duke; Hostetler in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006); and Owen in '' Men of a Certa ...

as Walter ("Welcome to the Speed Bump"; "Welcome to the Property"; "Welcome to the Art Class") *

Wayne Brady Wayne Alphonso Brady (born June 2, 1972) is an American television personality, comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' He was the host of ...

as Councilman Isaiah Evans ("Welcome to the Campaign"; "Welcome to the Election") *

Suzy Nakamura Suzy Nakamura (born December 2, 1968) is an American actress and improv comedian. She is known for her many guest appearances on sitcoms such as ''According to Jim'', ''Half and Half'', ''8 Simple Rules'', ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and ''How I Me ...

as Dr. Chen ("Welcome to Couples Therapy") * Milan Carter as Wyatt ("Welcome to the Rooster") *

Brian Posehn Brian Edmund Posehn (; born July 6, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's '' Mr. Show wi ...

as Clem ("Welcome to the Road Trip") *

Patricia Belcher Patricia Belcher (born 1954) is an American film, stage and television actress, known for her roles as Ms. Dabney in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Good Luck Charlie'', and as United States Attorney Caroline Julian in the FOX crime procedural c ...

as Sister Sabrina ("Welcome to the Turnaround") *

Bob Clendenin Robert Treman Clendenin (born April 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Dr. Tom Gazelian in ABC comedy series ''Cougar Town'' and Dr. Paul Zeltzer in the comedy series '' Scrubs''. Education Clendenin graduated from C ...

as Stan ("Welcome to the Shakedown") *

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as Dr. Fisher ("Welcome to the Procedure") *

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as Jerry ("Welcome to the Dad Band") *

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rece ...

as Victor Alvarez ("Welcome to the Challenge") *

Mike Estime Mike Estime is an American actor and comedian. He has made appearances in the films '' Harbinger Down'' and '' Last Holiday'' (2006) and the sitcom '' Talk to Me'' (2000) as well as the hit television series ''Everybody Hates Chris'' as Risky, a ...

as "Crackhead Victor" ("Welcome to the Intervention", "Welcome to the Dream Girls") *

Nicole Sullivan Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series '' MADtv''. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom ...

as Alexis ("Welcome to the Sister from Another Mister") *

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as Mayor Clyborne ("Welcome to the Sister from Another Mister") *

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as Suraya ("Welcome to Your Match") *

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as himself ("Welcome to the Ex-Files") *

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...

as Curtis Butler, Calvin's younger brother ("Welcome to Bro Money, Bro Problems") * Patti LaBelle as Marilyn, Calvin's mother ("Welcome to the Mama Drama") *

Shanola Hampton Shanola Hampton (born May 27, 1977) is an American actress best known for her role as Veronica Fisher on Showtime dramedy '' Shameless'' and as the face model of Rochelle in the video game ''Left 4 Dead 2''. Acting career 2000–2010: Early c ...

as Nicki ("Welcome to the Dream Girls") *

Gina Yashere Regina Obedapo "Gina" Iyashere is a British comedian who has made many appearances on British and American television. Early life Yashere was born and raised in Bethnal Green London to Nigerian parents. Before becoming a comedian, she worked ...

as Chika ("Welcome to the Ring") *

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as Gregory ("Welcome to the Art of Negotiation") *

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as Kenny ("Welcome to the Hot Prospect") *

Issac Ryan Brown Issac Ryan Brown (born July 12, 2005) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Booker in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Raven's Home'', which earned him a nomination at the 48th Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Prin ...

as Peter ("Welcome to the Hot Prospect")

Episodes

Production

Development

On September 27, 2017, it was announced that

had given the production, then titled ''Here Comes the Neighborhood'', a pilot production commitment. The pilot was written by Jim Reynolds who was also set to executive produce alongside Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, and Wendi Trilling. Production companies involved with the pilot include

Kapital Entertainment Kapital Entertainment is an American entertainment company founded by Aaron Kaplan in 2009. Prior to founding Kapital, Kaplan was the worldwide head of scripted television at William Morris Agency to which he joined in 1991. He exited the compan ...

CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...

, and Trill Television. On January 27, 2018, the production officially received a pilot order. On February 9, 2018, it was announced that James Burrows would direct the pilot. On May 9, 2018, it was announced that CBS had given the production, now titled ''Welcome to the Neighborhood'', a series order. A few days later, it was announced that the title of the show had been changed to ''The Neighborhood''. A day after that, it was announced that the series would premiere in the fall of 2018 and air on Mondays at 8:00 P.M. On July 9, 2018, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 1, 2018. On October 19, 2018, it was announced that CBS had ordered an additional eight episodes of the series, bringing the first season total up to twenty-one episodes. On January 25, 2019, CBS renewed the series for a second season and premiered on September 23, 2019. On May 6, 2020, CBS renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on November 16, 2020. On February 17, 2021, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season. On April 5, 2021, Reynolds stepped down as the showrunner and executive producer after three seasons due to complaints of his "insensitive comments and other race-related issues over a period of time". On June 7, 2021, Meg DeLoatch joined the series as an executive producer and showrunner for the fourth season to replace Reynolds. The fourth season premiered on September 20, 2021. On January 24, 2022, CBS renewed the series for a fifth season. On March 26, 2022, DeLoatch exited as the showrunner. On June 8, 2022, Bill Martin and Mike Schiff were announced as the new showrunners of the series. The fifth season premiered on September 19, 2022. On January 23, 2023, CBS renewed the series for a sixth season. The show is filmed on a closed set without a studio audience due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

; a

laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...

is added during post-production.

Casting

In March 2018, it was announced that Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears,

Josh Lawson Joshua Lawson (born 22 July 1981) is an Australian actor and filmmaker best known for his role as Doug Gugghenheim in '' House of Lies'', Tate in '' Superstore'' and as Kano in the 2021 film ''Mortal Kombat''. Early life Lawson was born and ra ...

had joined the pilot's main cast. On April 4, 2018, it was reported that

Dreama Walker Dreama Elyse Walker (born June 20, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her supporting role in the series ''Gossip Girl'', her lead role in the film '' Compliance'' (2012), and her lead roles in two short-lived television series, the c ...

had joined the cast in a main role. On May 15, 2018, it was announced that

had replaced Lawson in the role of Dave Johnson. On June 11, 2018, it was announced that

had replaced Walker in the role of Gemma Johnson. On October 11, 2018, it was reported that

had been cast in a guest starring role. On December 10, 2018, it was announced that

would make a guest appearance in the series.

Release

Marketing

On May 16, 2018, CBS released the first official trailer for the series. On July 11, 2018, a short promo video for the series was released, showcasing the addition of Greenfield and Behrs, with newly filmed footage from the re-shot pilot episode. Two days later, a new full length trailer featuring Greenfield and Behrs was released.

Premiere

On September 12, 2018, the series took part in the 12th Annual PaleyFest Fall Television Previews which featured a preview screening of the series and a conversation with cast members including Cedric the Entertainer, Tichina Arnold, Max Greenfield, and Beth Behrs.

Reception

Critical response

The series has been met with a mixed to negative response from critics upon its premiere, often citing bad character writing and mishandling of the current social environment as the main factors. On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the series holds an approval rating of 24% with an average rating of 4.31 out of 10, based on 17 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "While the show's likable cast has potential, poor attempts at cultural commentary and weak characterizations leave ''The Neighborhood'' stuck in a creative dead end."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 50 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Ratings

Home media

CBS Home Entertainment CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is a home entertainment company owned by Paramoun ...

released the complete first season on DVD on August 4, 2020. The second season was released on December 1, 2020. The third season was released on July 27, 2021.

Other appearances

Calvin and Tina appeared in the '' Bob Hearts Abishola'' episode "Compress to Impress" which aired March 14, 2022.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neighborhood, The 2010s American sitcoms 2020s American sitcoms 2018 American television series debuts CBS original programming English-language television shows Television series about families Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in Pasadena, California Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television series by Kapital Entertainment