Cedric the Entertainer’s 5 Greatest Roles, Ranked

After 155 episodes across eight seasons, the Cedric the Entertainer starrer The Neighborhood is coming to an end with its 8th and final season. The show had been going strong, but rising costs reportedly led CBS, the network, to end it after season 8, as per Deadline. Cedric the Entertainer, who has been on several sitcoms, was an executive producer.

The actor is known for his comedy roles and is one of the OG comics since the ‘90s. After receiving his breakthrough with The Steve Harvey Show, he went on to star in multiple films, sitcoms, and headlined comedy specials. As The Neighborhood comes to a close on May 11, 2026, here are five roles from the star performer ranked.

5 Cedric Jackie Robinson – The Steve Harvey Show

Cedric the Entertainer got the role of Cedric Robinson after starting as a stand-up comic. It was his breakthrough in the industry, playing a main role in The Steve Harvey Show, along with the eponymous Harvey. 

Robinson was a friend of Steve Harvey’s, Steve Hightower, in the show, and many of his plotlines revolved around his romance with the character Lovita Jenkins.

Cedric the Entertainer played the role with great restraint and fit perfectly as the middle-aged coach of a high school. He is the voice of reason and is constantly getting embroiled in Hightower’s shenanigans.

4 Calvin Butler – The Neighborhood

Sitcoms are filled with the husband who wants to do everything by himself archetype. But Cedric the Entertainer still brings some freshness to it with his style and delivery in The Neighborhood. Calvin Butler becomes the one anchor for Max Greenfield’s Dave Johnson as he moves his family into a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Cedric the Entertainer also acted as an executive producer on the show and mentioned that rising costs were the reason for its premature ending with season 8. He said (via The Breakfast Club).

After eight seasons, everybody needed raises, and that’s when you knew, ‘Alright, this show is getting ready to be done’.

Cedric the Entertainer has been in many sitcoms over the years. It was great to see him still pull off some old-school laughs even in the age of streaming.

3 Maurice – Madagascar

Probably one of his most popular characters, Cedric the Entertainer, voices Maurice, the lemur, in the Madagascar franchise. The right-hand man of King Julien, Maurice, is again the voice of reason and is quietly annoyed by Julien’s manic personality. Cedric the Entertainer voices him in his classic, wise, and articulate style. He reprised the role in Madagascar 2, 3, and the animated series All Hail King Julien.

2 Reverend Sherman Boyce Ballentine – The Soul Man

Cedric the Entertainer has mastered the art of sitcoms as he leads one more with The Soul Man. Playing Sherman Boyce, a former R&B star who leaves his Las Vegas life to become a preacher, Cedric the Entertainer is incredibly hilarious. This is Schitt’s Creek before Schitt’s Creek, and he plays perfectly as a man who is tied between faith and a family used to comfort.

1 Eddie Walker – Barbershop

The Ice Cube starrer Barbershop is filled with memorable characters and interactions, but Cedric the Entertainer certainly takes the cake as Eddie Walker, one of the barbers in the shop. He is old, opinionated, and knows that the barbershop is meant to have conversations that are otherwise too taboo. He shines in one scene where he criticizes major civil rights activists such as Jesse Jackson and Rosa Parks, arguing with the rest of the shop.

Movie/Show Name	Rotten Tomatoes (as of April 28, 2026)	IMDb (as of April 28, 2026)	Streaming/Rent
Barbershop	82%	6.4	Prime Video
The Soul Man	80%	6.1	Paramount+
Madagascar	55%	6.9	Netflix
The Neighborhood	67%	6.8	Paramount+
The Steve Harvey Show	NA	6.6	Hulu

What do you think of Cedric the Entertainer’s performances? Comment below.