‘The Neighborhood’ Finale: Tichina Arnold Previews Toni Braxton’s Guest Spot

In a case of art imitating life, The Neighborhood’s creative team has taken a big moment from Marcel Spears’ (Marty) life and has written it into the May 6 episode. The actor’s wife, actress Sarah Francis Jones, gave birth to the couple’s daughter Nola Renai Spears while at a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles last September.

In the season finale of The Neighborhood, titled “Welcome to the World,” Marty and his girlfriend Courtney (played by Skye Townsend, A Black Lady Sketch Show), his parents, Calvin (Cedric the Entertainer) and Tina (Tichina Arnold), and their neighbors, Dave (Max Greenfield) and Gemma (Beth Behrs), attend a Toni Braxton concert. Before she can belt out “Un-Break My Heart,” the tearful ballad many bawled their eyes out to back in the 1990s over failed relationships, Courtney’s water breaks and she goes into labor – just as Jones’s had.

Below, Arnold previews the big episode.

The family gets a little bigger in tonight’s episode!

Tichina Arnold: Yes, Cedric and I — we become [TV] grandparents. This episode is based on Marcel’s real-life. He really did go to a Beyoncé concert [with] his other half and her water broke at the concert. We have a whole show dedicated to this.

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Was Beyoncé asked to come on and play herself?

I think we put it out there, but we have the lovely Toni Braxton, who will play that part of the story. She’s great!

Grandparents get all the fun – but none of the diapers!

All the fun. None of the diapers! I tell everybody I know who’s a parent, “I’ll give you babysitting for one night. That’s it!”

You played Zena Brown on Ryan’s Hope. Have you seen Tom Lisanti’s book — Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap?

No, I didn’t know there was one! I’ve got to look for that! Ryan’s Hope was my first professional role [as a TV series regular]. Then, I went to All My ‘Kids’ [AKA All My Children as Sharla Valentine], too!

What did you learn from doing soap operas?

I learned what not to do. By that, I mean back then, we had teleprompters. Actors were known as “not the best” because they’re on soap operas. I say no, it’s not that they’re not good actors. They are. It’s that they’re reading teleprompters. I trained myself to remember my lines.

Did anyone take you under their wing and show you the ropes?

Yes. Michael Levin, who played Jack Finelli. Bless his heart and God rest his soul. [Editor’s note: the Daytime Emmy-nominated actor passed away on January 6 of this year at the age of 90.] It was because of him I got on the show. Michael insisted I get the part. He fought for me. He told me, “Tichina, when I saw your audition, I wanted you to get the role.”

The Neighborhood, Mondays, 8/7c, CBS