Eddie Murphy is set to star in “The Chairman,” a drama series in development at Peacock created by Matthew Weiner. If greenlit, the project will mark his first-ever role in a live-action scripted series.
Plot details for “The Chairman” have not yet been announced. The series will be produced by Universal Television and 101 Studios, led by “Yellowstone” executive producer David Glasser, and is the subject of a first-look film and television deal with NBCUniversal that began in January. “The Chairman” will also be the first project to emerge from former Paramount boss Chris McCarthy’s deal with NBCUniversal, which was first reported in November 2025 and cast him in a consulting role on the studio’s relationship with Glasser and 101. Murphy and Weiner are producers on “The Chairman.”
Murphy is among the greatest comedians of all time, having launched his career as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for four seasons from 1980 to 1984. Since then, he has focused on comedy specials and films; his only scripted TV role before “The Chairman” was voice acting for “The PJs,” an animated series he co-created. On the big screen, his credits include the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise (1984-2024), “Coming to America” (1988), “Harlem Nights” (1989), “Dr. Dolittle” (1998), “Dreamgirls” (2006), “Dolemite Is My Name” (2019) and more.
Weiner is best known for creating and serving as showrunner on “Mad Men,” which ran for seven seasons on AMC from 2007 to 2015 and is widely considered one of the best television series of all time. He also served as writer and executive producer on “The Sopranos.” His other credits include writing and producing CBS’s “Becker” (1999-2002) and the 2018 Amazon Prime Video anthology series “The Romanoffs,” which he created.
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