Max Greenfield On Season Three Of 'The Neighborhood': 'Just A Really Wonderful Experience'

(CBS)- The Neighborhood continues with more new episodes as Dave, Calvin and the group come into your home Monday nights at 8:00PM ET/PT, only on CBS and streaming on CBS All Access.

CBS' Matt Weiss spoke to Greenfield about the new season, working with Cedric The Entertainer and Dave's character development.

MW: Hey Max, good to see you again! We spoke over quarantine when there was hardly anything coming out and now we have another new season of The Neighborhood filmed entirely during the pandemic. Does it feel any different for you watching this season knowing what it took to make it behind the scenes?

MG: I don't know if it's changed watching it, but certainly shooting it has changed. But it sort of is what it is. We're all in this situation and we're all doing our best. I think it's brought, honestly in our own environment and community, it's brought us all the closer together.

MW: And The Neighborhood was the top-rated show in the country on January 4th, so clearly, it's all coming together really well even through all the hardships.

MG: We're really excited. We all still believe in the show and this is just been a challenging year that we all hope to get past and move through.

MW: In the third season now and I know from speaking to you before and Cedric and Tachina, how close you all are. I'm curious was there a moment when everything kind of clicked for you all and you said we can really put something special together here?

MG: Right from the very beginning. I just think you could feel it and you go OK well this is going to work. Then it just became about everyone sort of just really settling into the rhythm of the show and the writing. I think once we did that, which again was really early on, we just became more and more comfortable.

MW: Had you and Cedric ever met before working together on the show?

MG: No, no. We have mutual friends. They had spoken so highly of him and I known how ridiculously talented he was. He was a really big reason why I wanted to be part of the show.

MW: Do you remember what it was like the first time you met him?

MG: He was he was a part of the show before I was. It's a really interesting show because so much of it is the black experience. Our showrunner is white. I said to Cedric when I met with him about potentially doing the show, I was like, I need you to be really involved and he was like, man, don't worry, I will. He has been so much so and I think adds everything to what the final product is.

MW: You mentioned the writing on the show is really amazing because you handle very serious topics but the show's also hilarious at the same time. It's just a credit to the writing staff and you all as actors being able to bring out their writing and to put it onto the show as well.

MG: Yeah, it's a really interesting show. Jim Reynolds who created the show, he has been incredible in that he really understands multi-cam and the structure of these shows and how they work. He is also open enough to understand there are stories that aren't 100% authentic to him. He really opens that up to our diverse writers' staff and to Cedric and allows them to really have a voice in our storytelling. It's been, as far as I'm concerned just a really wonderful experience.

MW: Do you have a favorite episode that you've had so far, one that sticks out?

MG: Every once in a while, we do one where it's just really old school slapstick multi-cam funny. Like the one we did this year, where Cedric and I are running around trying to get a chicken. I just remember being like, oh I don't have to like think about some overarching story in this episode this is just fine.

MW: It's just two guys chasing the chicken.

MG: Yeah, we're doing like a really old school sitcom right now and that's exciting.

MW: We have this new episode coming up with you and Beth having a trip to Vegas, so what are we going to see out of you two?

MG: Yeah, we realize that we're not the most exciting couple anymore. We've lost our spontaneity and we decide very last minute, spur of the moment to go to Vegas. We get there and it kind of doesn't go exactly how we originally thought it was going to.

MW: Last question before I let you go, for anyone who hasn't tuned into The Neighborhood yet, what are they missing?

MG: We're in a position now with the way the TV works where you can binge a bunch of the episodes. I would say go on a binge for a while and see if it sticks. I think that's how most shows work now. Like oh I like this, there's more episodes that come out every Monday. I will just say run it on a loop.

MW: Max thank you so much, it is a pleasure talking to you and all the best.

MG: Appreciate it!

Tune in for new episodes of The Neighborhood, Monday nights at 8:00 PM ET/PT, only on CBS and streaming on CBS All Access. Check your local listings for more information.