Paramount+ has granted a series order to a new “The Neighborhood” spin-off series, titled “Crutch.”
Tracy Morgan is set to lead the half-hour comedy series — which will be set in “The Neighborhood” universe — as Francois “Frank” Crutchfield, known as “Crutch” to many. The new series will follow the Harlem widower whose empty nest plans are put on hold after his millennial son and free-spirited daughter move back home, per the official logline.
“Crutch,” which is scheduled to begin production later this year, is executive produced by “The Neighborhood” star and EP Cedric The Entertainer through his production company A Bird and a Bear Entertainment. Morgan, Eric C. Rhone and showrunner Owen Smith — who wrote the premiere script — will also serve as executive producers alongside Cedric. The new series, produced by CBS Studios, will reunite Morgan and Smith after Smith served as showrunner and executive producer on “The Last O.G.,” which Morgan starred in for four seasons.
“I’m excited to be expanding our ‘The Neighborhood’ universe by producing a show with the legendary comedian Tracy Morgan,” Cedric said in a statement. “This new character is the close cousin to my character Calvin Butler, and you will enjoy some of their many similarities. Morgan plays Crutch, a ‘say-it-like-it-is’ widowed father who is challenged when his two adult children and a couple of grandchildren need to move back home, and let’s just say there will be several comedic complications.”
“Crutch will be navigating the ups and downs of having his kids and grandkids back under one roof, and you know if I am doing this, there will be plenty of laughs along the way,” Morgan said. “I am so happy to be able to do this with my brother Cedric The Entertainer, Owen Smith and the rest of the amazing crew we have put together. Get ready for your new favorite show!”
The series extends “The Neighborhood” franchise and follows the recent renewal of “The Neighborhood,” which was ordered for a seventh season at CBS. The comedy series, which stars Cedric The Entertainer as the former friendliest guy in the Midwest as he experiences an extreme culture shock once he moved to Los Angeles, has averaged a viewership of 7.9 million, per live-plus-35-day multiplatform data, marking a 10% increase from last year.
“Our subscribers love CBS’ ‘The Neighborhood,’ so it’s a natural fit to bring ‘Crutch’ to Paramount+,” Paramount Streaming EVP Jeff Grossman said. “We can’t wait to see what the immense talents behind ‘Crutch’ – Tracy Morgan, Cedric The Entertainer and Owen Smith – bring to this new series.”
Additional EPs for the new series include Aaron Kaplan for Kapital Entertainment and Wendi Trilling for TrillTV.
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