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April 10 - 16, 2023 Page 3 By Jay Bobbin Some people stay in their neighborhoods for a long time ... and as the show's 100th episode affirms, that's also true of those in television's "The Neighborhood." Directed by star and execu- tive producer Cedric the Enter- tainer, the CBS sitcom's mile- stone story airs Monday, April 10, as the series nears the end of its fifth season. While Calvin (Cedric) tries to find the perfect birthday gift for wife Tina (Ti- china Arnold) – which he has failed miserably at doing the past – neighbor Gemma (Beth Behrs) tries to get Jerry O'Con- nell (appearing as himself ) to donate tickets to his CBS show "The Talk," for a fundraiser where she's the principal and his children are students. Max Greenfield, Sheaun McKinney, Marcel Spears and Hank Greenspan also are regular cast members in "The Neighborhood," which already has been renewed for a sixth season. The show has endured through multiple changes of executive producers (including series creator Jim Reynolds), and Cedric acknowledges that reaching 100 episodes is "very rare in the business of television these days, so we don't take it for granted." Though humor is the main suit of "The Neighborhood," the show gets topical reason- ably frequently. "In order to really get to the show that we were intending to do," Cedric explains, "(we had to) show the contentious nature of what hap- pens when people just assume somebody is different from you because of skin color, religion, background, whatever. We kind of live in a culture where, 'If somebody is different from me, I don't like them.' "It takes you back to the early Norman Lear shows ... 'All in the Family,' 'The Jeffersons.' That was very intentional in the way we wanted to approach the show, especially me." However, Cedric notes that as the casting and the overall work process continued, that helped shaped what "The Neighborhood" has become: "We enjoyed each other. We laughed a lot. We got each other's sense of humor, and so it's harder to act that (tension) when you have this kind of nat- ural connection." Co-star Behrs agrees, re- flecting, "There is a certain camaraderie here and a certain amount of fun. There's never a day where I wake up and I'm bummed to go to work. No matter what's happening in my personal life, I come here and I laugh all day long with these people." The on-air result makes ac- tor Greenfield wistful about the atmosphere the series promotes, since he notes, "I grew up in a neighborhood where we defi- nitely knew our neighbors. You were able to walk around the town, and it felt like I had a lot more freedom back then. And now, I know none of my neigh- bors. And I care not to." ACROSS 1. "Happy __" 5. Shelley of "Cheers" 9. 1983-88 Brolin/Sellecca series 10. Actor Ryan 12. __ Thurman 13. Aromatherapy bottles 16. Role on "Black-ish" 17. Winona Ryder's age 18. Spielberg or Seagal 20. Acuff's initials 21. "law & Order: Special Victims __" 23. "__ Season"; Ashton Kutcher film 25. "Devil __ __ Blue Dress"; film for Denzel 26. Tit for __ 27. Mediocre report card 28. Suffix for art or real 29. Scottish hillside 30. May honorees 32. Actress Arden's initials 33. "__ Doodle Dandy" 38. "__, God!"; movie for George Burns 39. Actress lucy 41. Maggie __; "FBi" role 42. Name for a Stooge 43. Andrea McArdle role 45. "pretty little __" (2010- 17) 47. "My Three __" (1960-72) 48. Jodie Foster's alma mater DOWN 1. Actor on "Chicago Med" (2) 2. "One Day __ __ Time" 3. Biblical pronoun 4. Job opening 5. "Win, __ or Draw" 6. "life __ Mars" 7. Beatty or Sparks 8. Role on "Blue Bloods" (2) 9. Netflix competitor 11. Skinny 14. Suffix for book or cook 15. ll Cool J's age 18. "Ned and __" 19. "__ __ for Sergeants" (1964-65) 22. peruvian tribesman 24. El __, TX 29. Actor lugosi 31. "__ Out of My league"; 2010 film 34. lincoln & Vigoda 35. Ariz.-to-Colo. direction 36. J-M connection 37. __ May Clampett 40. Family card game 42. prefix for nutrition or practice 44. "life __ pieces" 46. John Wayne's state of birth: abbr. CoverStory The identity of the featured celebrity is found within the answers in the puzzle. in order to take the TV Challenge, unscramble the letters noted with asterisks within the puzzle. InFocus 'The Neighborhood' moves into its 100th episode "Dead Ringers" (Prime Video — limited series premiere, April 21) This original limited series stars Rachel Weisz ("Disobe- dience") as dual lead char- acters in this modern-day update of David Cronen- berg's 1988 thriller about twin siblings who push the boundaries of medical ethics to challenge antiquated practices and bring women's health care to the forefront. Britne Oldford, poppy liu, Michael Chernus and Jenni- fer Ehle also star. Solution is on page 2. I FOUND IT! Whether you are looking for the latest garage sale bargain, a reliable car, a home or a new job. You are sure to find what you want in the classified section of … Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better!

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