Photo by Darlene Donloe
By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
STUDIO CITY — On the set of “The Neighborhood,” a CBS original series now in its seventh season, the cast is preparing for a table read for the latest script, “Welcome To Not Being In It,” set to air at 8 p.m. March 3.
This is a special NAACP invitation-only event where the organization’s committee members, executives and selected members of the Black press can meet and greet the people in “The Neighborhood.”
The table read is the first run-through of the script with the full cast and crew present. It’s a chance for everyone involved in the show to hear and read through the script aloud before filming or rehearsals take place.
As people begin to fill the Studio City soundstage, “The Neighborhood” cast members trickle in one by one for what has been promoted as a festive and informative occasion.
All the players are there, including crew members, writers, producers and other executives, plus members of the cast: Cedric the Entertainer, Tichina Arnold, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Skye Townsend and Hank Greenspan. However, Greenfield, who plays Dave Johnson, the next-door neighbor of Cedric the Entertainer’s character, Calvin Butler, is absent due to family illness.
“The Neighborhood” debuted in October 2018. The show centers on the relationship between the Butler and Johnson families. When a white-bread couple, Dave and Gemma Johnson (Max Greenfield and Beth Behrs), arrive from Michigan, they’re unfazed that their new dream home is in a community quite different from their previous small town.
However, their opinionated next-door neighbor Calvin Butler (Cedric The Entertainer), who is married to Tina (Tichina Arnold), is wary of the newcomers, sure they’ll disrupt the culture on the block. Dave realizes that fitting in with the new community is more complex than he had expected, but if he can find a way to connect with Calvin, there’s an excellent chance of making the new neighborhood a great place to live.
The show is now in its seventh season, which is a significant achievement for a sitcom. In the case of “The Neighborhood,” its renewal is a testament to the show’s enduring popularity, talented cast and crew and the network’s commitment to supporting quality programming.
The set is laidback and inviting, which creates a calm, comfortable atmosphere.
Members of the cast say this is due to the leadership of the sitcom’s patriarch, Cedric the Entertainer, who greets everyone on this day with a cheerful “hello” and “how are you” before leading his television family and crew in prayer.
Cedric the Entertainer, who has been entertaining audiences for decades, believes the success of “The Neighborhood” speaks volumes about how Blacks and whites can live next to each other.
“We captured something unique when we started,” Cedric said. “Gentrification was big at the time in the world — when we were filming this about white families moving back into Black neighborhoods and taking them over. The idea that these neighborhoods weren’t already homes for people — a place where they had culture, family, and people who wanted things, man.”
Cedric said the point of the sitcom is to show that the idea of diversity in a neighborhood doesn’t mean that people have to lose who they are in the process.
“The Butler family is a strong family,” he said. “You have a husband, wife and two boys. Everybody is progressive. The Johnsons moving in and being a generation younger couple shows how, if we want to, we can communicate and get along with people. That’s why this show resonates.”
Marcel Spears plays Marty Butler, the younger of the two sons. Spears believes the show’s strong leadership is why it has maintained its popularity.
“It starts with the vision of the people at the top,” said Spears, who has been in show business for 10 years. “Cedric and everyone who created the show had a vision of telling the story about real people and neighbors and bridging the gap regarding their differences. ‘Ced’ initially wanted to tell a story about a Black family that carries on the tradition of Black shows. He wanted to show a family that loves each other. He felt there was a gap in that story.”
Sheaun McKinney, who plays Malcolm Butler, the eldest son, said the secret sauce of the show’s success is the collaborative atmosphere initiated by Cedric the Entertainer.
As an executive producer, Cedric brings his unique perspective and creative vision to the show. His involvement behind the scenes helps shape the tone, characters and storylines of the series. He works closely with the show’s creators, writers and producers to ensure the series stays true to its core themes and values.
“From the beginning, Cedric set a tone for what this would be,” McKinney said. “You can see how open and friendly everyone is. It’s been that way since day one. It’s him and Tichina being the patriarch and matriarch.
“The show itself is relatable to what’s going on in this country,” McKinney added. “We relate to everyone going through everything. Once we get people to let their guards down, we can communicate. We can break bread with one another. I think this show is naturally set up to deal with anything.”
Sitcom veteran Tichina Arnold respects how Cedric has guarded the show’s integrity.
“The magic of this show is that you have a bunch of individuals who really love each other and mesh well together,” Arnold said. “And having Cedric the Entertainer as the head of this show — it shows.
“As a Black man in Hollywood, he has conducted his life, path and private life so well that it spills over into what he does. He has kept the sanctity of this show in terms of how this Black family is going to live on the same block as this white family.”
Arnold said everyone tries “to keep the show as real as possible.”
“We are positive people,” she said. “We want to keep the positive in the show, not the negative. Black people are still shown negatively in the media. It’s a fight, but we’ll decimate that fight … eventually.
“That’s what I meant by Cedric keeping the sanctity,” she added. “Who knows more about Black people than we do? We are so diverse as a culture and people. We want to make sure we display that in the show.
“We have a great writing staff, including Bill [Martin] and Mike [Schiff], who are great to have as showrunners. They are malleable. As a show, we want to convey that we can all live together. We can be in harmony. We can all get along. We can go through trials and tribulations — but we can get through it and not allow it to get the best of us.”
The hugs, kisses, and warm greetings the cast give each other make it evident that Arnold’s words ring true. There is a visual mutual admiration society on the set.
“We have a great time,” Cedric said. “We have become fans of each other. They give me credit. It is a top-down situation. I try to lead with love and by listening. I’m a good collaborator. Hopefully, that energy spins around. That’s the magic around here — for sure.”
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
