Cedric the Entertainer is, quite literally, comedy royalty. One of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric can now be seen on the small screen as the star of TV Land’s The Soul Man. In advance of the show’s special live season premiere, on March 26, Cedric answered some questions for DIRECTV about the upcoming third season, his dream guest stars, and his favorite comics working today.

What is it like on set with The Soul Man cast and crew?

It’s a good time on the set of The Soul Man! Being back for the third season really makes us feel like a close-knit family. We miss each other when we’re on hiatus, and when we’re back we have some really fun family moments, on and off the set.

Are you excited for the upcoming LIVE season premiere of The Soul Man?   I’m extremely excited about the LIVE season premiere. As a stand-up comedian, I enjoy performing with a live audience around—I’m looking forward to having that live energy! At the same time, I do have anxiety about making mistakes—there are no retakes here!—and recovering from them. I think it will be a lot of fun in the end.

Who would you like to see guest star on The Soul Man?

Some great guest stars I’d love to have on The Soul Man are Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, or Beyoncé. The latter two would be great in any dream sequence!   What TV shows do you enjoy watching, other than The Soul Man, of course?

A few of my favorite shows besides The Soul Man include: Shameless, House of Lies, and Nashville. Nothing makes me well up more than a good country song!   What other comedians working today do you admire?

A short list of comedians I admire these days includes Steve Harvey (of course), Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Maher, and rising young comic Trevor Noah.

The live season premiere of The Soul Man airs Wednesday, March 26 at 10:30/9:30c on TV Land (Channel 304).