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Eddie Murphy to Star in Peacock Drama 'The Chairman
Confirmed
In Short: Eddie Murphy, a legendary comedian and actor, is set to star in 'The Chairman,' a new drama series for Peacock. The series, created by 'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner, will mark Murphy's first leading role in a scripted TV series since he left 'Saturday Night Live' in 1984.
Murphy has had a prolific career in film, starring in around 40 movies since '48 Hours,' but has not headlined a scripted series. His previous forays into television include co-creating and executive producing the animated series 'The PJs' in the late 1990s.
Weiner, known for his Emmy-winning series 'Mad Men,' is also set to executive produce 'The Chairman.' His last major project was the single-season Amazon anthology series 'The Romanoffs' in 2018.
The series will be produced by 101 Studios and Universal Television, marking the first collaboration between NBCUniversal and 101 Studios since the companies struck a deal last year.
Details about the plot of 'The Chairman' are scarce, but the project is generating significant interest due to the pairing of Murphy and Weiner, two acclaimed figures in the entertainment industry.
Murphy's most recent project was the Netflix documentary 'Being Eddie,' which was well-received. He is also set to star in 'Shrek 5' next year.
Weiner's involvement in 'The Chairman' is notable given his limited output in recent years. His previous work includes writing and executive producing 'The Sopranos' and creating 'The Romanoffs.
The series will be produced by 101 Studios, which is also behind series such as 'Landman' and 'MobLand.
What this adds
The series is expected to explore a dramatic storyline, a departure from Murphy's usual comedic roles.
The collaboration between Murphy and Weiner represents a significant return to television for both, with potential for a compelling drama series.
Background
Mad Men is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner for AMC. It ran from July 19, 2007 until May 17, 2015, with seven seasons and 92 episodes.
What's confirmed
- The drama series marks the star’s first leading role in scripted TV Eddie Murphy will star in “The Chairman,” a drama series in the works at Peacock hailing from “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner.
What's still developing
- Details about the series are basically nil at this point, but we do know that it’ll be a drama, and that it’s apparently called The Chairman.
- Eddie Murphy has done almost no TV in the 32 years since he departed Saturday Night Live, with the rare exceptions amounting to a few Shrek shorts, and his 1999 stop-motion animated Fox series The PJs.
- That streak is apparently about to end, though, as Deadline reports that not only is Murphy making the move to streaming, but that he’s doing so with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner in tow.
- Weiner, for his part, has been almost as scarce on the small screen as Murphy these days; he last had a major project back in 2018, with his single-season Prime Video anthology series The Romanoffs, which didn’t exactly ascend to Mad Men levels of cultural ubiquity.
- (The rollout being muddied by a sexual harassment accusation from former assistant and Emmy-winning Mad Men writer Katie Gordon probably didn’t help.) Murphy’s 21st century career has been eclectic, to put it mildly.
- The idea, then, of Murphy teaming up with Weiner and exploring a genuinely dramatic story carries an undeniable spark of potential—even if both man’s limited creative output over the last decade or so might temper our enthusiasm just a bit.
- The Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America star, who got his start on Saturday Night Live, will star in The Chairman, a drama series from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner that is in the works at Peacock.
- Murphy has starred in around 40 movies since 48 Hours but has never headlined a scripted series, though he has created two shows back in the day: animated comedy The PJs for Fox and The Royal Family for CBS, both in the 1990s.
- Eddie in a Mad Men type drama could be interesting By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
- Elsewhere in TV, he executive produced Fox animated series “The PJ’s.” Weiner is a nine-time Emmy Award-winning writer, who is best known for creating and showrunning “Mad Men” as well as writing and executive producing “The Sopranos.” Sorry, we're having trouble loading commenting features.
- Murphy is among the world’s all-time greatest comedians, having launched his career as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for four seasons from 1980 to 1984.
- If greenlit, the project will mark his first-ever role in a live-action scripted series.