CBS has opted not to move forward with the proposed spinoff of The Neighborhood that would have focused solely on brothers Marty (Marcel Spears) and Malcolm (Sheaun McKinney) living on their own in Venice Beach, which makes the season 7 finale—a backdoor pilot for the offshoot—a little awkward. Or does it?
According to star, writer, and executive producer Cedric the Entertainer told TVLine that Malcolm's move is going to stick in the upcoming eighth and final season. Cedric actually co-wrote the backdoor pilot and says they really like the idea of Malcolm finally moving out, though Marty will go "back and forth" from Pasadena to Venice as he continues working at the family repair shop, Fuse Box, with his dad.
Not only that, but we will likely see several of the newer characters that were introduced in the finale, such as Justin Long's tech bro Bruce.
Specifically, Cedric says they loved "what Justin brought to the role, so it seems like there could be an opportunity there with [Bruce] becoming interested in what we're doing at the Fuse Box."
Angelique Cabral is also likely to have a guest-starring role in season 8 given her role as Malcolm's agent, Lisa. Other characters we could see again are Hunter King and Kara Royster as Bellamy and Matisse.
He also mentions how fun it was to see Long share scenes with his former New Girl co-star Max Greenfield, who stars on The Neighborhood as Dave.
Back in April, when the news that CBS wouldn't be moving forward with the spinoff, Cedric also chatted with TVLine and expressed his disappointment about the decision, but also noted that it's a challenging time in the broadcast television space right now, as networks are tightening their belts and opting not to spend as much money.
"We thought we did a great job, but ultimately there wasn’t enough room in the budget for what we had.”
Had the spinoff series gotten picked up to air, it would have focused fully on the brothers starting their new era alongside the new cast members. Even though it isn't happening anymore, it's still nice to know that the writers aren't just going to drop that storyline completely and move on, as has happened in many television shows of the past when backdoor pilots resulted in nothing. It sounds like the season 7 finale still sets up a fun plot for Malcolm for the final season, which will premiere on CBS this fall.
And even though that particular spinoff isn't happening, another offshoot of The Neighborhood is moving forward. Tracy Morgan will lead the cast of the Paramount+ multi-cam series Crutch, though he will be playing a new character rather than his previous role of Calvin's wealthy brother. In Crutch, Morgan is set to play Calvin's cousin, a man named Francois "Frank" Crutchfield," nicknamed "Crutch" by his loved ones.
Per the outlet, they've already filmed eight episodes of the sitcom and it will feature guest appearances from Cedric and Tichinia Arnold as Calvin and Tina, along with at least one appearance from Dave! Crutch is also expected to debut this fall.
Morgan will also star in the upcoming NBC sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins alongside Daniel Radcliffe.