D.L. Hughley Sets Sitcom Return on ‘The Neighborhood’

D.L. Hughley is visiting The Neighborhood. The comedian, who is coming off a successful stint as a Daily Show guest host, will appear in the Season 5 finale of Cedric The Entertainer’s CBS sitcom in May. The episode will also introduce The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Kevin Pollak as Max Greenfield’s onscreen father.

Hughley is playing himself in “Welcome to the Opening Night,” which airs on Monday, May 22 at 8 p.m. ET. Calvin (Cedric the Entertainer) tries to convince Marty (Marcel Spears) to open their new business earlier. He also wants to get a celebrity endorsement from Hughley. Meanwhile, Tina (Tichina Arnold) and Gemma (Beth Behrs) get ready for the opening night of their new school play.

The episode also finally introduces Dave’s (Greenfield) father, Lamar (Pollak). Lamar abandoned Dave when he was 11, but not for the reasons Dave long thought. Dave is still happy to see his father again, but he’s not sure he can trust him. Showrunners Mike Schiff and Bill Martin decided Pollak was the best choice for the role.

“When Kevin’s name came up, we immediately gravitated toward him,” the showrunners told TVLine. “Not just because he’s hilarious, but because he’s immediately warm and lovable, but also a little slippery.” Pollack knows a thing or two about playing fathers, as he starred as Anna Faris’ dad on CBS’ Mom and Michael Zegen’s dad on Amazon Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Hughley recently hosted four episodes of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show during the week of Jan. 30. He recently starred in the Bounce TV dramedy series Johnson, alongside Deji LaRay, Thomas G. Jones, Philip Smithey, Derrex Brady, and Terri J. Vaughn. The show’s second season aired last summer.

Hughley starred in his own sitcom, The Hughleys, from 1998 to 2002. The show debuted on ABC but moved to UPN for its final three seasons. Hughley played a vending machine salesman in Los Angeles, living with his wife and two children. The comedian also had a lead role in Aaron Sorkin’s short-lived 2006-2007 NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Hughley also made guest appearances on Hawaii Five-0 and Heartbeat.

The Neighborhood airs on CBS Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, with episodes of Bob Hearts Abishola, NCIS, and NCIS: Hawai’i following. All four shows on CBS’ Monday night lineup were renewed for next season. They are all streaming on Paramount+.