The Neighborhood star and executive producer Cedric the Entertainer explains how the popular sitcom will incorporate Malcolm’s move into its final season now that CBS has scrapped plans for a spinoff. The Neighborhood season 7’s finale offered a backdoor pilot for the spinoff. The second half of the hour-long season wrap-up had Malcolm use the first payment he received as a writer to buy a house in Venice Beach. The finale introduced Malcolm’s new neighbors, including one desperate to buy Malcolm’s house so he could demolish it and expand his own property, but the spinoff is not going ahead.
TVLine reports that despite the bad news about the spinoff, Malcolm’s story will continue in The Neighborhood season 8, which will still be the sitcom’s final season. Rather than spin Malcolm off into his own series, his experiences at his house in Venice Beach will be featured in The Neighborhood. Some of his neighbors may also make guest appearances as part of the plot. Check out what Cedric has to say about this change below:
“We love the idea that Malcolm has moved there. [Regardless of whether there was a spinoff], we still wanted to [make] this transition and show the growth of the Fuse Box, which is why we have Marty going back and forth. We love the fact that we can have Malcolm going back and forth, a little nervous about living on his own — when people feel, like, ‘Oh, this will be great! I’ve got my own house,’ and then they still find themselves at their mama’s house! We feel like we’ve got great stories [to tell] in that space — and, of course, the opportunity to use that [Venice] set from time to time to be able to go tell stories there.”
What This Change Means For The Neighborhood Season 8
The Original Show Will Have To Make Room For The Storyline
Since Malcolm and Marty are not getting their own spinoff, The Neighborhood season 8 will have to make room to accommodate their storylines. This is a concerning development because this is the final season of the sitcom. Thus, the writers will have to shift their wrap-up plans somewhat to ensure that they give Malcolm and Marty the stories and ending that they deserve after eight years on the air. However, The Neighborhood will get a full final season, so there is more breathing room than there would be if it only had a few episodes to wrap up every storyline.
Related
Crutch: Cast, Story & Everything We Know about The Neighborhood Spinoff
The popular CBS sitcom The Neighborhood is getting its first spinoff after six seasons, and there’s already a ton of updates about Crutch.
The fact that CBS scrapped The Neighborhood spinoff also means that there will be more of a sense of finality in The Neighborhood season 8. If the spinoff were going ahead, Malcolm and Marty would have many more stories to tell, and members of The Neighborhood cast could visit occasionally. Thus, the decision not to go ahead with the spinoff means that The Neighborhood season 8 will have to wrap up all storylines by the final episode instead of leaving anything to be addressed in the spinoff.
Our Take On The Neighborhood Season 8’s New Direction
This Compromise Doesn’t Make The Cancelation Less Disappointing
Incorporating Malcolm’s new home into The Neighborhood season 8 was the best decision that could be made under the circumstances. The series had already introduced his move and new neighbors, and it would have been a mistake to eliminate him and Marty from the final season. Additionally, it would have been unrealistic to undo the move in order to bring him back to the main show. Thus, the series had to compromise by adding Malcolm’s move to Venice to the plan for season 8.
The backdoor pilot teased a compelling premise, and it’s upsetting for the project to evaporate shortly after its introduction.
That said, it’s still disappointing that The Neighborhood will not be going ahead with this spinoff. The backdoor pilot teased a compelling premise, and it’s upsetting for the project to evaporate shortly after its introduction. Additionally, the new premise offered the possibility of turning The Neighborhood‘s central idea on its head by having Malcolm be the new neighbor that those who are already there need to learn to co-exist with, and now that idea has limited time to come to fruition.
Source: TVLine
Enjoy Screen Rant’s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.
SIGN UP