The Neighborhood (TV series)

The Neighborhood is an American television sitcom created by Jim Reynolds that premiered on CBS 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 Max Greenfield, Cedric the Entertainer, Hank Greenspan, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears, Beth Behrs, and Tichina Arnold. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on February 12, 2024. In April 2024, the series was renewed for a seventh season which is set to premiere on October 21, 2024.

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

Main

 * Cedric the Entertainer as Calvin Butler, the main character. A local homeowner, 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. In season 6, he and Marty open a repair shop called Fuse Box that specializes in electric vehicles.
 * Max Greenfield as Dave Johnson, Gemma's husband and Grover's father. Dave is a friendly but awkward man who moves from Michigan to Pasadena, California. He is a professional conflict mediator, a military veteran, and a graduate of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
 * 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 Martin '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. In season 6, he and Calvin open a repair shop called Fuse Box that specializes in electric vehicles. Marty has a one-night stand with a Fuse Box employee that results in her getting pregnant. Their daughter is born in the season 6 finale.
 * Tichina Arnold as Tina Butler, Calvin's wife and Malcolm and Marty's mother. A former singer in a semi-successful pop trio, she worked the front desk at Calvin's auto shop before starting her own cupcake business. In season 5, she accepts a part-time job as a music teacher at Gemma's school.
 * Beth Behrs 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.
 * Hank Greenspan as Grover Johnson, Dave and Gemma's son who is initially an elementary school student at Walcott Academy. In season 5, he begins middle school and turns 13 later on.

Recurring

 * Malik S. as Trey, Malcolm's friend; it is later revealed that his real name is Leslie
 * Earthquake as Que, the owner of the barbershop that Calvin and Dave frequent
 * Gary Anthony Williams 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 as Necie, a female boxer and Marty's girlfriend, later ex-fiancé
 * Sean Larkins as Randall, the mailman
 * Skye Townsend as Courtney Pridgeon, Marty's friend and former co-worker who becomes pregnant with his child after a one-night stand; she gives birth to their daughter in the Season 6 finale

Development
On September 27, 2017, it was announced that CBS 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, CBS Television Studios, 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 sixth season premiered on February 12, 2024. On April 9, 2024, CBS renewed the series for a seventh season. The seventh season is scheduled to premiere on October 21, 2024.

Casting
In March 2018, it was announced that Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears, Cedric the Entertainer, Josh Lawson, Tichina Arnold had joined the pilot's main cast. On April 4, 2018, it was reported that Dreama Walker had joined the cast in a main role. On May 15, 2018, it was announced that Max Greenfield had replaced Lawson in the role of Dave Johnson. On June 11, 2018, it was announced that Beth Behrs had replaced Walker in the role of Gemma Johnson. On October 11, 2018, it was reported that Marilu Henner had been cast in a guest starring role. On December 10, 2018, it was announced that Marla Gibbs would make a guest appearance in the series.

Filming
The Neighborhood was filmed at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, California, but is set in Pasadena, California.

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.

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, the first season holds an approval rating of 24%, with an average rating of 4.3/10 and 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, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 50 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Home media
CBS Home Entertainment 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. The fourth season was released on July 19, 2022. The fifth season was released on July 25, 2023.

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

Spin-off
On May 6, 2024, it was reported that the spin-off of The Neighborhood has been picked up by Paramount+ and reveals its titled Crutch introduced Tracy Morgan as the character of Francois "Frank" Crutchfield.