The title character in FOX’s upcoming Family Guy spin-off is voiced by a white guy, and now his redneck neighbor will be voiced by an African-American actor. Daily Variety reports that Kevin Richardson (The Cleaner) has joined the cast of The Cleveland Show, which has Mike Henry reprising the role of Peter Griffin’s long-suffering neighbor in his own adventures. Also joining the cast are Sanaa Lathan (Love & Basketball) and Nia Long (Soul Food).
In The Cleveland Show, the central character has taken his son moved from Quahog, Rhode Island to Stoolbend, Virginia, where he shacks up with his high school sweetheart, a single mother named Donna (Lathan). Long will play one of Donna’s two children, a rebellious teen named Roberta. The cast will assemble for the first table read this Thursday.
In addition to voicing Cleveland, Henry serves as a writer and exec producer on the animated show. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarland is also exec producing, along with veteran toon writer and producer Rich Appel (The Simpsons, King of the Hill).
