Eddie Murphy Signs On for His First TV Drama, From the 'Mad Men' Creator

The Chairman, from Matthew Weiner, is Murphy's first series-regular TV role since his 'Saturday Night Live' run ended in 1984.

Eddie Murphy is set to star in The Chairman, a Peacock drama from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, his first scripted TV series. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the casting on Thursday.

That's a longer wait than it sounds. The last time Murphy was a regular on a TV show, it was NBC's Saturday Night Live, where he spent four seasons, from 1980 to 1984, and built the comedy career that carried him into the movies.

The show is still in development, and Peacock isn't saying much yet. The plot hasn't been announced. Neither have a premiere date or an episode count, and the terms of Murphy's deal weren't disclosed.

What's known is who's making it.

Weiner has won nine Emmys, according to the Reporter. Before he created Mad Men and ran it for seven seasons, from 2007 to 2015, he was a writer and executive producer on The Sopranos. His other credits include The Romanoffs and Becker.

Murphy arrives with a shelf of his own. He's an Emmy winner, he was nominated for the best supporting actor Oscar for Dreamgirls in 2007, and his film run stretches from the Beverly Hills Cop franchise to 2023's You People. He's also the voice of Donkey across the Shrek movies.

The business side is where the show gets interesting for the industry. The Chairman is being produced by 101 Studios, the company run by CEO David Glasser, whose credits include Yellowstone, Landman and Mobland, alongside Universal Television, a division of Universal Studios Group.

It's also the first project to pair NBCUniversal with Glasser's company and Chris McCarthy, his longtime collaborator, under the overall deal McCarthy has with NBCUniversal. For a first swing with the team behind Yellowstone and Landman, an Eddie Murphy series is a loud way to open.

And the pairing itself is the reason to pay attention. The man who made Mad Men is building a drama around the star of The Nutty Professor and Daddy Day Care. That's the pitch, and it's a good one.

Source: hollywoodreporter.com, retrieved October 2, 2026.