Matthew Weiner Exits Eddie Murphy Peacock Series ‘The Chairman’ As Showrunner
Matthew Weiner has left Peacock’s drama The Chairman, in which Eddie Murphy is set to star, after executives decided his pilot script did not fit the project creatively. The series is continuing, with a replacement showrunner expected soon.
Weiner had been hired to develop and write an idea already conceived and pitched to Murphy, but his version reportedly departed from that concept. The writers’ room is taking a two-week break during the transition, and most of its staff are expected to remain. Plot details have not been disclosed; the project is Murphy’s first scripted series and the first announced under 101 Studios’ NBCUniversal deal, which began in January.
In short
- Matthew Weiner has exited Peacock’s The Chairman.
- Executives cited creative differences over his pilot script.
- Eddie Murphy’s first scripted series is moving forward.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Executives are responsible for ensuring a series matches the concept they commissioned and can credibly deliver on its creative aims. If Weiner’s script diverged from the idea pitched to Murphy, replacing him could give the project a clearer direction while allowing the series and most of its writers’ room to continue.
The case against
A distinctive new interpretation can sometimes strengthen a project, and changing showrunners over creative differences risks losing the perspective for which an experienced writer was hired. The departure and writers’ room pause may also unsettle the team and delay a series that could have benefited from developing Weiner’s version further.
Explained simply
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s streaming service, and a scripted series is a drama or comedy written for television rather than an unscripted show. Eddie Murphy, known for film and stand-up comedy, is attached to star in The Chairman, which is being developed as his first scripted television series.
Matthew Weiner is a television writer and producer best known for creating Mad Men. A showrunner oversees a series’ writing and day-to-day creative direction, while a writers’ room is the team that develops its scripts.
The project is also the first announced under a production deal between 101 Studios and NBCUniversal. That makes it an early example of work planned through the partnership, although the series’ story and release plans have not been made public.
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