Sockman’s pondering retirement in Season 4 of CBS’ Bob Hearts Abishola — and the missus is none too happy.
The Monday, Sept. 19 premiere (CBS, 8:30/7:30c) deals with the fallout from Goodwin’s decision to leave MaxDot to work for a fledgling competitor, Toesey Woesies. “Bob is very unhappy about losing his top guy, especially losing his top guy to Christina,” series co-creator and star Gina Yashere tells TVLine. And when Bob in turn confronts his sister, “they have a… spirited discussion, I’d say. But Christina stands up to Bob and basically says, ‘Maybe you need to look at yourself as to why Goodwin has left the company. Maybe it has something to do with you not actually making good on promises you’ve been making him in his career.'”
It quickly becomes apparent to Bob, Kofo and the rest of the MaxDot family that Goodwin is essential to the business. As always, Dottie and Douglas rely on Bob to pick up the slack, but the added pressure begins to take its toll on Mr. Wheeler.
“Seeing Christina leave, seeing Goodwin leave, and seeing that he’s sort of left behind, Bob starts to consider whether he’s in this job because he wants to be, or whether it’s out of obligation,” Yashere previews. By the end of the season opener, we’ll see Bob “make a decision to step back [from the company], and it comes about quite quickly.” It’s a decision that, as you might expect, doesn’t go over well with Abishola.
“She’s a traditional Nigerian woman, and she married a strong, hard-working businessman,” Yashere says. “Now, who she thought she married is [changing]. It’s a struggle for Abishola,” who is also dealing with her mother’s forbidden fling with a man of the cloth.
Watch an exclusive sneak peek from the season opener above, then keep scrolling as Yashere (who was recently elevated to co-showrunner on B❤️A) previews what the returning sitcom has planned this fall — including a visit from the great beyond.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS The first episode picks up shortly after Pastor Falade’s last sermon, during which Abishola discovered that the holy man has eyes for her mother, Ebunoluwa (newly promoted series regular Saidah Arrika Ekulona).
“Abishola is not happy about it at all,” Yashere tells TVLine. “She’s worried about her mother getting involved, what people are going to think, and how it is going to play back in Nigeria since her mother is not divorced. It’s funny, because Bob is oblivious at first, totally charmed by the new pastor. But Tunde and Olu… can see what’s happening and how it is going to effect the family.”
In a bid to stop the relationship, Abishola and Kemi “get up to some capers,” Yashere shares. “Kemi is going to use some of her ‘Kemi charm’ to try and find out whether [the pastor] is good for Abishola’s mother or not.”
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Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS It was midway through last season when Abishola first realized that her mother is in a loveless marriage back home. But she doesn’t take that into account when passing judgment on Ebun and Falade’s relationship.
“She has almost turned into her mother,” Yashere posits. “It’s the way her mother treated her when she first left for America and left Tayo. She doesn’t realize it immediately, but history is repeating itself. She’s struggling to see outside of herself. All she sees is what is happening now.”
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Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Meanwhile, when Bob decides to loosen his tie and leave MaxDot behind, Dottie and Douglas “think he’s lost his mind,” Yashere tells TVLine. “There’s a little bit of pandemonium because he does it so abruptly. There’s no winding down, or getting them used to the idea. It sends everyone into a tailspin.”
As he continues to contemplate his future in Episode 2 (airing Sept. 26), Bob will turn to an unlikely source for advice: His late father (and MaxDot’s namesake founder) Max, played by Dharma & Greg‘s Joel Murray.
“It was so great to watch these characters bounce off each other,” Yashere gushes. “There’s even a physical resemblance, which is funny. The character is great. And don’t be surprised if [Max] decides to make some visits in the future.”
As for how Max appears to Bob, Yashere explains: “We didn’t want to do a ghost story. When his father appears to him, he is solid. There is no smoke, there is no myst. He is not transparent in any way. It is Bob’s subconscious speaking to him. His father is vocalizing all of the things that are going on inside his brain, and that’s how we play it.”
Bob Hearts Abishola Season 4 kicks off Monday, Sept. 19 at 8:30 pm on CBS.
