Family matters take center stage — or, more accurately, the slightly-too-expansive living room set — in the upcoming episode of The Neighborhood. “Welcome to the Wicked Stepmother” finds Tina (Tichina Arnold) facing a complicated family situation when her father’s health takes a downturn. While the show occasionally dips its toes into weightier subjects, it usually favors a lighter approach, making this potentially more serious plotline a point of interest.
Glynn Turman returns as Tina’s father, Otis, whose age-related health concerns become the catalyst for family drama. And what’s family drama without a little extra spice? Jackée Harry guest stars as Loretta, Otis’s estranged wife, whom Tina must now attempt to reunite with her ailing father. The potential for heartfelt reconciliation clashes with sitcom shenanigans, creating a blend that The Neighborhood often handles with surprising deftness.
Meanwhile, on the lighter side of the street, Dave (Max Greenfield) and Gemma (Beth Behrs) encounter a parenting milestone that’s less earthquake, more tremor. Daphne experiences her first minor injury, prompting the kind of overreaction that only well-meaning but slightly clueless parents can muster. It’s familiar territory for sitcoms, but The Neighborhood generally finds a way to inject enough warmth into these scenarios to avoid complete eye-rolling territory.
So, while Tina deals with the complexities of family and aging parents, the other side of the cul-de-sac offers a dose of predictable but potentially amusing parental anxiety. “Welcome to the Wicked Stepmother” aims to provide both the heartstrings tug and the gentle chuckle, a balancing act that The Neighborhood has, for the most part, managed to maintain throughout its run.
The Neighborhood “Welcome to the Wicked Stepmother” airs Monday, December 9, 2024, at 8:00 PM EST on CBS.
