The Neighborhood's Last Laughs: What's Ahead In Season 8 Before The CBS Comedy's Series Finale

CBS on Monday welcomed audiences back to The Neighborhood for its eighth and final season — and life on the block looks a little different.

Calvin and Tina are adjusting to their newly empty nest — even though, technically, they've been empty-nesters since Season 3 — now that Malcolm has put down roots in Venice and Courtney has officially moved in with Marty; Gemma's facing her own adjustment now that Grover has graduated from Walcott Academy; and AI-enthusiast Dave has managed to train machines to replace him at the V.A. — launching a multi-episode arc for Calvin's BFF.

"We're tormenting that poor guy like a piñata," co-showrunner Bill Martin says of Dave's Season 8 storyline. "He gets into pickling... he's gotta find things to do with his time."

The same could be said for Gemma, who's confronting her own existential shake-up. "As luck would have it, Hank Greenspan is high-school age, which worked well for the show because it's time [Grover] finally graduates from Gemma's school and goes to a [high] school," Martin explains. "So now Gemma — in addition to going, 'I've had my baby under my wing K through 8' — is suddenly asking herself, 'Why am I really doing this?' It's kind of a natural crisis point for her."

Co-showrunner Mike Schiff tells TVLine that the writers are leaning into these transitions, and relishing the rare opportunity to craft a true ending for what has become one of CBS' longest-running sitcoms.

"We can finally head toward a climax that we don't have to write our way past," Schiff explains. "It's nice to be able to just get there."

Along the way, expect to see some familiar faces — like The Big Bang Theory's John Ross Bowie, who put in one last appearance as Dave's (former) boss Gregory in Monday's season opener, and Angelique Cabral, who was introduced last season as Malcolm's literary agent Lisa. Martin and Schiff also say they'd love to see Tina and Dave's parents again — played respectively by Glynn Turman, and Kevin Pollak and Marilu Henner — but the focus in Season 8 will ultimately be on the core ensemble.

"We want a victory lap that feels intimate, not bloated," Schiff says. And though they haven't put pen to paper yet, they're already thinking ahead to the series finale — which, as of now, will be a standard, half-hour episode.

"Finales often go wrong when they get too big," he continues. "To me, the gold standard is The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was just a half hour where everybody gets fired, they all sing 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary,' and we cry, and she turns off the lights. That's the kind of emotional resonance we want."

Adds Martin: "We just want people to remember, 'Oh, this is why we enjoyed this ride.'"

So tell us: What are you hoping to see before CBS moves out of The Neighborhood? Grade the final season premiere via the following poll, then leave a comment and let us know.