[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Neighborhood Season 7 finale, “Welcome to Pomp and Circumstance” and “Welcome to Venice.”]

Welcome to the block, welcome to a brand new neighborhood! The Neighborhood delivered a stunning two-part Season 7 finale, the place Marty (Marcel Spears) and Malcolm Butler (Sheaun McKinney) moved from their home down the block to a brand new home in Venice Seaside, California, so Malcolm may pursue his writing profession. This storyline was presupposed to arrange the spinoff that might function Marty and Malcolm as the most important characters, however in April, it was sadly introduced it could not be shifting ahead.

The final three episodes of the season had been crammed with visitor stars, together with Garrett Morris, Justin Lengthy, and Hunter King, heartfelt moments, and a few unfigured-out emotions. With just one season left, The Neighborhood will wrap up everybody’s tales in a handful of episodes.

TV Insider spoke with Cedric The Entertainer, who performs Calvin Butler on the sitcom, about what he hopes occurs in the ultimate season, if there can be any acquainted visitor stars, hopes for one more spinoff, and extra.

Season 7 was crammed with visitor stars, together with Garrett Morris. What was it like working with him?

Cedric the Entertainer: We’ve been loving Garrett for a few years. To start with, considered one of the first people who we noticed on Saturday Night time Stay. After which, after all, he had actually enjoyable roles on Martin and 2 Broke Ladies and only a nice TV legend, and in order that’s considered one of the causes we love having the ability to have him on our present. Thought it was a terrific Easter egg to each Tichina [Arnold, who plays Tina Butler] and Beth [Behrs, who plays Gemma Johnson] to have Gary present up as somebody who they’ve labored with and been on reveals inside their previous careers. So, at 88 years outdated, the man nonetheless is humorous and delivering strains and having us dying, we beloved it, and we simply beloved having him there. It was a blessing.

Is there anybody from the Kings of Comedy, Barbershop, or New Woman you’d wish to see swing by The Neighborhood in Season 8?

Yeah, Season 8, we’re going to show it up at this level. I’m undoubtedly going to work arduous to carry my canine, Steve Harvey, onto the present at the very least as soon as. Bought to carry my brother Anthony Anderson onto the present. I’ve had so lots of my nice mates there. There have been talks to carry Kat [Dennings] on for Beth after which I had Martin [Lawrence] come by to see Tichina and direct an episode this yr. And I had him come by and say hey to her. So, possibly we are able to get Terry Crews to pop on for Tichina. I’d adore it. After which there’s been a few talks for the individuals, all from New Woman. So we don’t know who can come by, however we’d love that, that mixing and matching the place individuals cease by. When Garrett was on the present, there was just a little humorous line at the finish the place he checked out Beth and stated, “Do I do know you from someplace?” It was type of cute.

You’re gearing up for the ultimate season of the sequence. Why do you assume the present continues to resonate with audiences practically eight seasons in?

I feel it’s simply actually a type of enjoyable reveals that reveals what life actually is all about. You’ve bought so many individuals on this world — a melting pot of individuals with totally different beliefs, non secular backgrounds, sexual orientations, and cultures, the place they’re from. If we study to simply meet these individuals, speak to them, and get to know them, we are able to truly discover that there’s a possibility for development, friendship, and household, that you just simply don’t know.

And that’s actually the type of the foundation behind The Neighborhood, what it was all about in the very starting. And I feel that we’ve actually captured that with out being preachy. We simply type of present the world. We’re capable of discuss all types of psychological well being, having a toddler out of wedlock. We simply type of attacked all of it. How my oldest son discovered his profession later in life, how these expectations that folks assume, like life is that this to do, and we had been capable of present that. He thought he was going to be a baseball participant and ended up being a literary author. These items are what life is all about. And I feel that that’s what individuals love about this present, is that we attempt to dig into these items and discover our method via them, and produce that little slice of life into this comedic world.

The Season 7 finale teased Marty and Malcolm’s subsequent chapter. How will that proceed to be included into The Neighborhood, particularly since the spinoff was canceled?

The spin-off didn’t occur, and that was actually unlucky. However I feel it’ll ring true and it’ll nonetheless work. These guys are very a lot nonetheless regulars for Season 8. So, I feel it’s going to be a possibility for us to do a lot of issues. One is that as we’re going into the finale of the present, I feel it’s going to be essential to indicate that Malcolm is shifting on. He’s doing his personal factor. Marty will finally in all probability do one thing comparable, and we’re simply displaying the development.

Like we don’t know precisely the place our present’s going to go, however for me, an excellent sequence finale all the time type of provides you one thing to encourage for which will or might not occur, however finally, all of your heroes have a hero’s ending. They’ve their finish in a method that you just’re happy and also you’re glad, and also you even think about what their new life can be like past The Neighborhood or no matter. In order that’s the type of themes we’re speaking about. It’s actually early on. The guys are getting again in the writers’ room in June, and so till then, we’re simply type of toying and taking part in with ideas and fiddle till it turns into very clear the place we’re going to go.

Does hope for a Marty and Malcolm spinoff nonetheless exist post-The Neighborhood? What do you think about it could appear like?

Yeah, it’s nonetheless a terrific alternative for us to do one thing. We talked to the community instantly after they handed on this, and there’s a possibility to, after all, keep in enterprise with them and discover it. We don’t know what it’s, as a result of we thought this was such a pure match, and beloved the method it formed up. We had nice visitor stars — Justin Lengthy got here on. We had so many cool individuals as part of the present that we thought would kill and so, we’re simply going to should try to take just a little step again and determine, like, what’s it that makes a real, nice, spin-off thought? So it’s going to develop.

Calvin and Tina are technically empty nesters heading into the ultimate season. What do you hope to see subsequent for them in Season 8?

I feel we’ll proceed to be these type of mother and father, the place Tina would in all probability even need to be a helicopter mum or dad much more when the youngsters had been out. Like, you’re shifting to a home, and she or he all the time there, nonetheless bringing you dishes, and also you’re like, “OK, thanks, Mother.” So I feel that type of spacing, after which, you will notice them as a pair resolve what their future is. And this concept that the youngsters have grown, they’ve completed a terrific job, what can we do is for us now, and so I feel that that’s actually essential for actual individuals to consider in actual life. When you’ve gotten a younger household, you all the time type of reside for the youngsters, you do all of it for the youngsters. And then you definately get to an age the place you’re nonetheless an adolescent at the core of it, you continue to bought quite a lot of life left. And also you go, like, “OK, nicely, what do I do? Do I do what I need to do now?” And I figured we are able to go and reside on the Ritz Carlton and an excellent luxurious yacht for about three years or one thing. Possibly we are able to try this as nicely, so I can get CBS to pay for it. I like that. [Laughs]

How will Dave (Max Greenfield) and Calvin’s friendship be remodeled?

That’s the factor about it. We’ve gone from adversaries to mates, from mates to household to brothers, proper? We all know these guys are locked at the hip, and it’s all the time a lot enjoyable to look at. It’s a lot enjoyable to play. And I feel that that’s considered one of the issues as we go into Season 8, we’ll simply type of actually search for a few of these themes, the one to type of simply floor it up, possibly even a few of these issues out loud, the place we need to get individuals to grasp that there’s this concept that typically you assume you don’t combine with or perceive one other group or one other particular person, however should you permit your self to get to know them, then you definately’ll be shocked on the commonalities. And so I feel with that, their son is rising up, he’s altering, going to highschool. We don’t know like, do they find yourself shifting to a different place as a result of they need to be nearer to him in highschool? Do the Butlers resolve to retire and go and reside round the world and The Neighborhood type of goes and areas out now, and it’s now not that neighborhood?

Is there hope for Marty and Courtney (Skye Townsend) to pursue a relationship, or Courtney and Malcolm?

(*7*)You by no means know! With Courtney and Marty, you possibly can really feel that spark. They’ve bought this pure rhythm and quite a lot of shared historical past, so I feel followers are undoubtedly rooting for them. And Marty, he has an enormous coronary heart, so that you by no means know. When issues may line up for him, possibly they’ll give it one other shot. 

Are there any Season 8 teases you possibly can provide as an government producer?

Not at this level. I imply, we bought the info that we had been renewed after we wrapped and we had been actually glad to know that we had been getting Season 8, after which, they knowledgeable us that it could be the ultimate season. So we haven’t actually locked in precisely the place we plan on going but. However we’re excited that we get to inform our story and wrap it up, and we need to be certain that our followers are happy and so they adore it. We may have quite a lot of enjoyable all through Season 8 and hopefully lead you to a finale that feels worthy of the present that’s coming to your house on Monday nights for eight seasons.

When The Neighborhood does come to an in depth, would you come to scripted TV or revisit internet hosting?

I imply, I don’t know. I’m a inventive. I’m continually producing so much. I even have a manufacturing take care of CBS/Paramount, so, I’m creating different reveals for myself and different individuals. We’re simply going to search for that proper factor, one thing that’s enjoyable to play, the totally different character, possibly, and however I’m open and prepared to come back again and do a sitcom, possibly even do some type of dramatic scene or two in a procedural, and we’re creating a few recreation reveals, so which may be one thing I can do, hopefully all collectively if I get one thing that’s enjoyable to do. However, I’m enthusiastic about all the alternatives forward.

You had been the Honey Pot on The Masked Singer. What was that have like?

That was an fascinating expertise for positive! My buddy Anthony Anderson did it and he all the time talks about it so I knew I needed to give it a shot once they reached out with the alternative. Let me inform you, that costume was HOT! But it surely was such a enjoyable, out-of-the-box expertise. I don’t assume anybody actually anticipated me to be up there so it was enjoyable to have the ability to shock people and showcase a few of my different expertise. Plus, it was enjoyable to problem myself to maintain the secret from my family and friends though I feel they figured it out fairly rapidly. I feel the hat and my voice type of gave it away.