Cedric The Entertainer Talks Nixed Neighborhood Spinoff, Offers Update On Tracy Morgan Offshoot Crutch

Cedric the Entertainer is just as bummed as you are that The Neighborhood spinoff starring TV sons Sheaun McKinney and Marcel Spears is not moving forward. But he also admits that he was only "somewhat" surprised by CBS' decision.

"I do recognize that we're in a very difficult time as far as television goes," the star and executive producer tells TVLine. "We were excited about doing this. We created the idea, and we intentionally tried to use an episode of The Neighborhood that we had in order to shoot it." But as he points out, the TV industry is in a state of transition, and broadcast networks are "not doing a lot of pilots [anymore]. They're not spending a lot of money... they're just kind of workshopping ideas. We thought we did a great job, but ultimately there wasn't enough room in the budget for what we had."

The untitled spinoff, which was being eyed for the 2025-26 TV season, would have seen Malcolm and Marty Butler "embark on new adventures, finally leaving their parents' nest to start the next chapter of their lives, finding themselves the newcomers in a neighborhood that's both close but yet worlds apart: Venice Beach," according to a previously released logline. The aforementioned pilot — which also stars Justin Long (Mom), Kara Royster (Pretty Little Liars), Angelique Cabral and Hunter King (Life in Pieces) — will still air as planned on Monday, May 5 at 8:30/7:30c, and serve as the second half of The Neighborhood's hour-long Season 7 finale. 

"I was a little disappointed, for sure," Cedric, who co-wrote the episode, admits. But he's also excited that audiences will have a chance to see a glimpse of the show they wanted to make. He also has a plea for viewers at home: "I want everybody to write in [to CBS], because I think people are going to see this season finale and be, like, 'That's a great show! Y'all should do that show!'"

In the meantime, the comedian remains excited for another offshoot — the Paramount+ bound Crutch. Tracy Morgan will headline the multi-cam, but he will not reprise his Season 4 role as Calvin Butler's wealthy brother Curtis. Instead, he'll play a new character: Calvin's cousin, Francois "Frank" Crutchfield – or, as his friends call him, Crutch — a Harlem widower whose empty nest plans are put on hold after his millennial son, Ivy League-educated lawyer Jake (Superior Donuts' Jermaine Fowler) and his free-spirited daughter Jamilah (Snowfall's Adrianna Mitchell) move back home. Tony Award winner Kecia Lewis (Hell's Kitchen) also co-stars as Crutch's meddling sister-in-law, Antoinette.

"We shot eight episodes," Cedric tells us. "We put together a really great cast, and it was fun to do some guest appearances," confirming that he and Tichina Arnold will appear twice in Season 1 as Calvin and Tina, while Max Greenfield will put in an appearance as Dave. "We're going to air it some time in the fall, and we're excited about that."

The Neighborhood's Season 7 finale airs Monday, May 5 at 8/7c on CBS (and streams next day on Paramount+). The sitcom has already been renewed for an eighth and final season.