Is The Neighborhood woke?
The Neighborhood (2018)
TV Show
Released: January 1, 2018
Wokeness Score
7/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Premise explicitly contrasts white Midwestern family with Black neighborhood, centering racial and cultural differences as ongoing plot driver.
- Season 3 premiere directly promotes Black Lives Matter, addresses police issues, and discusses white privilege with family lessons.
- Creators and cast emphasize using the show to foster discussions on race, diversity, and changing viewer perspectives on social issues.
Wokeness Analysis
The Neighborhood centers on a white Midwestern family relocating to a predominantly Black neighborhood in Los Angeles, using cultural clashes as the core premise for comedy and character development. This setup intentionally highlights race and diversity from the pilot onward, with storylines addressing topics like racial stereotypes, community integration, and differences in perspectives between the families. A notable example is the Season 3 premiere episode explicitly tackling the Black Lives Matter movement, police misconduct, and white privilege through protest participation and family discussions, including a teachable moment for the white child about systemic issues. The cast and creators have publicly discussed aiming to change minds on race and offer diverse perspectives. While framed as light-hearted sitcom humor with family dynamics and neighborly interactions, the racial messaging frequently drives plots and feels shoehorned, especially in later seasons. Conservative-leaning critiques highlight it as pushing progressive social commentary on race relations, white privilege, and anti-racism in a network TV format, often at the expense of pure entertainment. Reviews note reliance on exaggerated racial tropes that serve ideological points rather than organic storytelling. The show ran for eight seasons with consistent emphasis on these themes, making the agenda prominent though not entirely didactic.
Plot
The Neighborhood is a CBS multi-camera sitcom that follows Dave Johnson, an overly friendly white man from the Midwest, who moves his wife Gemma and son Grover into a new home in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Pasadena, California. Their next-door neighbors are the Butler family, led by the opinionated Calvin Butler and his wife Tina, along with their adult sons. The series explores the Johnsons' attempts to fit in amid cultural misunderstandings and Calvin's initial wariness of the newcomers disrupting the block's dynamic. Over eight seasons, it blends family comedy with neighborly interactions, parenting challenges, and community life while navigating differences in backgrounds and viewpoints.