Bill Martin & Mike Schiff Named Showrunners for Upcoming Season of TV Land's THE SOUL MAN

TV Land announced today that season four of the network's hit sitcom "The Soul Man," starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash, will be helmed by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff, who hail from the hit comedies "3rd Rock From The Sun" and "Grounded for Life." Also new for the upcoming season of "The Soul Man" is the return of the lively and lovely comedienne Sherri Shepherd, who is back for 10 of the season's 12 episodes as Nikki, Boyce Ballentine's (Cedric) unpredictable cousin. Nikki, who was last seen HAWKING sex toys to the elder ladies of Boyce and Lolli's (Nash) church, always has some new business that's causing trouble and wreaking havoc in the Ballentines' lives. "The Soul Man" is set to return to TV Land in 2015.

"The Soul Man" follows R&B super-star-turned minister Reverend Boyce "The Voice" Ballentine after he relocated from Las Vegas to St. Louis with his wife Lolli. While they're always adjusting to their new modest life, they have plenty of obstacles in their way, including Boyce's brother Stamps (Wesley Jonathan), who is only just beginning to grow up and get his own place... finally.

Cedric "The Entertainer" will next be seen co-starring with Chris Rock in the upcoming Paramount comedy "Top Five" in theatres on December 5th.

Nash is currently in HBO's "Getting On" and will be seen in Paramount Pictures' "Selma" which is directed by Ava DuVernay and co-produced by Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey also in theatres in December.

Shepherd recently made her Broadway debut in the Tony(R) Award-winning musical, "Cinderella," in which she played the first black evil stepmother opposite Keke Palmer as the eponymous character. She will also co-star in Chris Rock's upcoming Paramount comedy, "Top Five" as his ex-girlfriend.

Cedric and Suzanne Martin ("Hot in Cleveland") are executive producers of the sitcom, along with Eric C. Rhone and Emmy(R) Award-winner Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner of Hazy Mills Productions.

About TV Land

TV Land is the programming destination featuring the best in entertainment on all platforms for consumers in their 40s. Consisting of original programming, acquisitions and a digital portfolio, TV Land is now seen in over 98 million U.S. Homes.

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