“The Neighborhood” creator, producer and showrunner Jim Reynolds has exited the show amid concerns over his leadership style.
According to a source familiar with the situation, CBS Studios had received negative feedback about Reynolds’ abilities as a leader and manager, some of which related to cultural issues, including from two Black writers who recently left the show. The series, which stars Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield, is described by the studio as centering on “the nicest guy in the Midwest who moves his family into a tough neighborhood in L.A. where not everyone appreciates his extreme neighborliness.”
Studio execs had initiated a conversation with Reynolds about a leadership change, per the source — and the showrunner ultimately agreed that stepping down was in the best interest of the series. No HR investigation was opened in relation to his departure. Season 3 of “The Neighborhood,” which in February been renewed for Season 4, has wrapped filming. No new showrunner has yet been named for the upcoming fourth season.
CBS declined to comment on the matter, and Reynolds’ reps did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reynolds, who was also a co-executive producer on CBS’ “9JKL” and executive producer and writer on “The Big Bang Theory,” currently has no other projects in the works at CBS.
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CBS Entertainment programming exec Thom Sherman has previously called “The Neighborhood” a “relatable and culturally relevant” Monday night anchor for the network — the series averaged 7.06 million viewers per episode in its third season. Beth Behrs, Tichina Arnold, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan also star on the show, which is executive produced by Reynolds, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Cedric the Entertainer, and Eric Rhone.
Deadline first reported on news of Reynolds’ departure from “The Neighborhood.”
