The Neighborhood faced a multitude of challenges before CBS put an end to its eight-season run.
While speaking to Us Weekly at CBS Fest on Wednesday, May 7, costars Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield reflected on their sitcom’s cancellation following ups and downs behind the scenes.
“On this particular show, we had to go through a number of adversities that were different from just a TV show,” Cedric the Entertainer, 61, recalled. “There were the [WGA and SAG-AFTRA] strikes and COVID. There’s been so many challenges that [it comes down to], ‘How do you keep a show together? How do you keep a cast together? How do you keep everybody motivated?’”
There were creative shakeups as well, with Cedric the Entertainer adding, “A lot of executive producers — we had to switch the writers a lot. I think that the biggest thing I learned is this idea of staying steady, staying focused and understanding that through adversity is an opportunity for a bigger and greater win.”
He continued: “You gotta trust that a lot of times — sometimes you see it as all tragedy, it’s happening — but sometimes it’s trusting the idea that the win is actually on the other side of it. If you can dig through it. That’s what I’ve learned the most.”
Greenfield, 45, meanwhile, joked he needed “seven years to really have perspective” on his time on The Neighborhood.
“The truth of the matter is I’m not really sure. We’re still in it,” he added. “We get this final season. We had this on New Girl too where they gave us an unexpected final run and I’m excited to have fun with it and go out having a great time.”
The Neighborhood, which premiered in 2018, follows a white Midwestern family adjusting after moving into a predominantly Black neighborhood in California. In addition to Cedric the Entertainer and Greenfield, the show stars Tichina Arnold, Beth Behrs, Sheaun McKinney and Marcel Spears.
CBS confirmed earlier this year that The Neighborhood was renewed for an eighth and final season. Greenfield later spoke to Us about choosing to look at the positive side of the situation.
“The truth of the matter is this will be our eighth and final season. When you look around, there’s so few … there’s no shows that go eight seasons anymore and there may never be another one. We might be the last one,” Greenfield told Us in April. “So I’m genuinely not sad at all that this is ending and feel so grateful for the eight seasons that we were given. We’ve been through so much together. This show has made it through a pandemic. This show has made it through multiple writers and actor strikes. It’s been a real roller-coaster.”
Greenfield teased at the time that The Neighborhood is going out on a high.
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“To have made it this far and to be in the position we’re at is just such a wonderful gift,” he continued. “And the ability to say goodbye in the way that we all want to, it is great. So I’m really excited to have a fun last season where everybody knows what the fate of the show is and have a good time with the people that I have already had such a good time with for the last seven-plus years.”
CBS initially ordered a potential spinoff of The Neighborhood which would star Justin Long, Kara Royster and Hunter King. It has since been canceled as well after the backdoor pilot aired earlier this month.
The cast of The Neighborhood is now focused on delivering the best possible ending for their fans.
“We do know that we want to have something that feels final for the audience, that the audience that loves the show, that loves us coming into their house every week. We want them to really enjoy this,” Greenfield added on Wednesday. “We don’t want to have that kind of Game of Thrones ending where everybody is like, ‘That’s some bulls***.’ That’s the biggest thing we working on, is a good finish so that our audience goes, ‘That was good.’”
The Neighborhood returns to CBS this fall and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
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