EXCLUSIVE: Jim Reynolds, creator, executive producer and showrunner of The Neighborhood, is leaving the popular CBS comedy series after three seasons. CBS Studios, which is behind the multi-camera sitcom starring Cedric the Entertainer and Max Greenfield, will nominate a new showrunner for season 4, which was signed by CBS in February.
“I am very proud of The Neighborhood and I have done my best in the past three years to make this the best show possible, ”said Reynolds in a statement to Deadline. “I am very happy that the show found an audience so enthusiastic and that it will live. At that moment, for everything that is happening in the world, I concluded that I am not the right person to continue telling these stories. I am excited to see the show thrive and I wish the best for everyone involved. “
Related Story
CBS Studios Slams
The departure of Reynolds occurs after the end of production of the third season. According to sources, CBS Studios opted for a change of leadership in The Neighborhood based on feedback, including complaints, the studio received about Reynolds involving race related issues over a period of time. I heard that this included feedback from two black writers who recently left the series after finishing work on season three. I heard that efforts have been made to remedy the situation in the past two years.
Ultimately, I heard that Reynolds decided to leave alone as soon as the studio came to a conclusion to replace him, leading to his departure.
The comedy veteran Reynolds created O Neighborhood, which addresses running issues on the screen, based on personal experience. The sitcom, about a white Midwestern family adjusting to move to a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Pasadena, California, has been a formidable anchor for CBS on Mondays. In its current third season, it is the most watched comedy on television, second only to CBS ‘ Young sheldon, reaching 7.02 million viewers.
The Neighborhood it also stars Beth Behrs, Tichina Arnold, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan. The cast was informed of Reynolds’ departure over the weekend. Executive producers are Cedric the Entertainer and Eric Rhone, Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor from Kapital, as well as Wendi Trilling from TrillTV.
Before creating The Neighborhood, Reynolds was executive co-producer on the CBS multi-camera comedy series 9JKL. Before that, he did an eight-season season on the network Big Bang Theory, rising to executive producer.