Tracy Morgan will star in a new Paramount+ comedy series that is set in the same world as the CBS show “The Neighborhood,” Variety has learned.
The half-hour multi-cam comedy is titled “Crutch.” Morgan stars in the series as Francois “Frank” Crutchfield, or Crutch to those who know him well. The character is described as “a Harlem widower whose empty-nest plans are put on hold after his millennial son and free-spirited daughter move back home.”
“The Neighborhood” star and executive producer Cedric the Entertainer will also executive produce “Crutch,” with CBS Studios producing. Production will begin later this year.
“I’m excited to be expanding our ‘The Neighborhood’ universe by producing a show with the legendary comedian Tracy Morgan,” said Cedric The Entertainer. “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.”
Morgan previously appeared on “The Neighborhood,” but not as Crutch. Instead, he guest starred in the Season 5 episode “Welcome to Bro Money, Bro Problems,” in which he played Curtis, Calvin’s wealthy younger brother.
“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,” said Morgan. “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!”
Morgan will executive produce “Crutch” in addition to starring. Owen Smith wrote the pilot script and will also executive produce and serve as showrunner. He and Morgan previously worked together on the TBS series “The Last OG,” in which Morgan starred with Smith also serving as showrunner. As with “The Neighborhood,” Cedric the Entertainer and Eric C. Rhone executive produce via A Bird and a Bear Entertainment. Likewise, Aaron Kaplan executive produces for Kapital Entertainment, as does Wendi Trilling for TrillTV.
“Our subscribers love CBS’ ‘The Neighborhood,’ so it’s a natural fit to bring ‘Crutch’ to Paramount+,” said Jeff Grossman, executive vice president of programming for Paramount Streaming. “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.”
In addition to his lengthy career in stand up comedy, Morgan is known for his time on “Saturday Night Live” as well as for the hit NBC comedy series “30 Rock.” He received an Emmy nomination for the latter show in 2009 and another for the former when he returned to host “SNL” in 2015. He starred in “The Last OG” for four seasons and “The Tracy Morgan Show” for one. He has also appeared in shows like “Martin,” “The Simpsons,” and “Squidbillies.” He is also known for movie roles such as “Coming 2 America,” “Cop Out,” and “Top Five.”
He is repped by CAA, ML Management, and Hansen Jacobson.
“The Neighborhood” originally debuted on CBS in 2018. Along with Cedric the Entertainer, the series also stars Max Greenfield, Tichina Arnold, and Beth Behrs. It was renewed for a seventh season in April.
Source Agencies
