Although The Neighborhood season 8 will continue the plot of the CBS sitcom’s story directly from where the season 7 finale left off, but this is a long way from where the series started back in 2018. The Neighborhood was originally the story of Max Greenfield’s cheery Midwestern veteran Dave, who moved in next door to Cedric the Entertainer’s perpetually put-upon Calvin Butler.

Calvin and Dave’s struggles to see eye to eye defined the show’s first few seasons, although The Neighborhood’s spinoff will focus on Tracy Morgan’s minor ing character, the show’s canceled spinoff was set to follow Malcolm on his move to Venice Beach.

The Neighborhood Season 8 Focuses On Marty and Malcolm’s New Neighborhood

“Welcome To Venice” Introduced The Show’s New Setting

In season 7, episode 20, “Welcome to Venice,” Malcolm moved out of the neighborhood and into his new home in Venice Beach, spending his book advance on a fixer-upper. Seven seasons after setting up the sitcom’s original fish-out-of-water premise, wherein a Midwestern family moves to Calvin’s historically black neighborhood, The Neighborhood season 8 will now follow Malcolm and Marty moving into the comparatively white environs of Venice Beach. “Welcome to Venice” saw the brothers encounter all manner of quirky locals, from Justin Long’s tech bro Bruce to the glamorous influencer Matisse.

“Welcome to Venice” was originally intended to be the pilot episode of a separate spinoff show.

In a revelation that will surprise few viewers familiar with the tropes of sitcoms, “Welcome to Venice” was originally intended to be the pilot episode of a separate spinoff show. This cast of wacky characters, which also included Hunter King’s earnest activist, Bellamy, were intended to be the main stars of Malcolm and Marty’s new show. Since this series isn’t happening, there is an argument to be made that The Neighborhood season 8 will be the show’s riskiest outing so far. After all, it is now a show about a totally different neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Season 8's Marty and Malcolm Story Was Almost A Separate Spinoff

“Welcome To Venice” Was Intended To Set Up A Separate Show

Originally, the characters from “Welcome to Venice” were set to populate a spinoff that would have focused on Malcolm and Marty’s struggles to fit in and find a modicum of peace in the chaos of Venice Beach. Malcolm’s literary agent was also added to the cast, but the canceled spinoff’s primary plot was clearly an inversion of The Neighborhood’s season 1 setup. This time, the Butler family were the misplaced new arrivals getting used to unfamiliar neighbors.

When Malcolm and Marty’s spinoff wasn’t picked up, Cedric the Entertainer confirmed The Neighborhood season 8 would reincorporate this plot as part of the main series. The star said the sitcom could bounce between Venice Beach plots and stories set in the original neighborhood, thus allowing the series to enjoy the best of both worlds. While this sounds promising, the show must avoid one major mistake.

The Neighborhood Season 8 Must Maintain Its Original Premise

The CBS Sitcom Succeeded Thanks to Calvin and Dave’s Hilarious Relationship

In Roseanne season 9, the working-class Conner family unexpectedly won the state lottery and became millionaires overnight. The show’s tone became absurdly cartoony and zany, with goofy plots involving saving the First Lady from terrorists on a train and a secret Satanic cult in New York. The result was a season that looked and felt nothing like Roseanne, which was roundly rejected by critics and dubbed one of the worst mistakes in sitcom history.

Malcolm and Marty’s canceled spinoff would have needed to use Greenfield and Cedric the Entertainer’s characters sparingly, since the duo were the original show’s heroes and could have easily distracted viewers from the new show.

This is relevant since The Neighborhood will end with season 8 and, already, Calvin and Dave barely appeared in “Welcome To Venice.” Malcolm and Marty’s canceled spinoff would have needed to use Greenfield and Cedric the Entertainer’s characters sparingly, since the duo were the original show’s heroes and could have easily distracted viewers from the new show. However, The Neighborhood season 8 can’t forget its original premise just because Venice Beach provides new characters to focus on and a flashier new setting.

CBS ordered a spinoff of The Neighborhood starring Sheaun McKinney and Marcel Spears that was set to premiere during the 2025–2026 TV season, but the network ultimately decided not to move forward with the series.

Viewers come to The Neighborhood to see Dave and Calvin’s families alternately clash and work together, so Malcolm and Marty’s story shouldn’t overshadow that. This might seem like it means relegating the Venice Beach story to the background, but arguably the opposite is true. With appealing new talent like Long and King, the Venice Beach plot should be pivotal to season 8, but Calvin and Dave should play a big role in helping Malcolm establish himself in this new setting (whether he wants their help or not).

The Neighborhood Season 8’s New Neighborhood Could Be Good For The Sitcom

The Neighborhood’s Final Season Can Benefit From A New Setting

If the show manages to balance these two settings, The Neighborhood season 8 could be the sitcom’s strongest outing so far. Malcolm and Marty’s scrapped spinoff means that the original show can now bounce between the two settings instead of relying entirely on Calvin and Dave or Malcolm and Marty, giving both pairings more room to grow and change. Already, Marty’s flirtations with Bellamy resulted in Courtney becoming possessive of him, even though she repeatedly rejected his offers to be in an exclusive romantic relationship.

Both Calvin and Dave and Marty and Malcolm needed a major change ahead of the show’s final season so that The Neighborhood season 8 didn’t end up feeling like an unnecessary victory lap for the long-running sitcom.

Venice Beach could truly shake up the character arcs of Malcolm and Marty, which were growing repetitive and stale trapped in Calvin’s home. Similarly, seeing Dave interact with the high-strung Bruce could allow the straight-laced character to realize how much he has changed since moving to Calvin’s neighborhood. Both Calvin and Dave and Marty and Malcolm needed a major change ahead of the show’s final season so that The Neighborhood season 8 didn’t end up feeling like an unnecessary victory lap for the long-running sitcom.

After how disappointing The Conners season 7’s ending was, it is fair to say that a family sitcom from 2018 ending by bringing in novel new characters isn’t necessarily a recipe for success. However, The Neighborhood season 8’s new setting means the show has the unique opportunity to reverse its own premise, putting Malcolm in Dave’s shoes and showing him what it was like for his affable neighbor to move into the neighborhood all those years ago. This means The Neighborhood season 8 could be a uniquely fun, poignant, and clever way to end the CBS sitcom.

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