Cedric the Entertainer Developing New Comedy at CBS

Cedric the Entertainer is continuing his CBS takeover. The comedian and actor stars on the sitcom The Neighborhood and video clip series The Greatest @Home Videos. Now, he’s looking to bring another show to the network. Deadline reports that CBS is developing new multi-camera comedy Token White Friends. The series comes from The Neighborhood team at CBS Studios and executive producers Aaron Kaplan at Kapital Entertainment, Wendi Trilling via TrillTV, and Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone for A Bird and Bear Entertainment.

Token White Friends is inspired by a true story where a Black couple who adopts a white child reach out to three estranged white college friends to help out. The series is written and executive produced by Josh Greenberg, Jordan Black, and Jon Haller. According to the creators, Token White Friends is “about parenthood, culture clashes, and why it’s problematic for a 7-year-old white kid to wear cornrows.”

As of now, the series is still in early stages and has not been ordered, but more information should be released in the coming months. It’s unknown if Cedric the Entertainer will only serve as executive producer or if he will also star in the series. But he is pretty busy with his other two shows on CBS, so that might be a bit hard.

Cedric the Entertainer has been starring on The Neighborhood as Calvin Butler since 2018, and he also serves as executive producer. The series follows a white Midwestern family as they adjust to moving into a predominantly Black neighborhood in Pasadena. It’s currently in the midst of its seventh season, so his possible role on Token White Friends might also depend on the status of The Neighborhood. The show has not yet been renewed or canceled for another season, but that announcement may not come for a while, so fans will have to wait and see what happens with The Neighborhood.

It seems like CBS is wanting to buff up its already-strong comedy lineup, because this isn’t the only series in development. Damon Wayans Jr. is developing multi-cam comedy Overstepping, produced by his Two Shakes Entertainment banner and CBS Studios, according to Deadline. His new series Poppa’s House, which also stars his dad, Damon Wayans Sr., was just picked up for a full season following its series premiere last month.