The Chairman: Eddie Murphy, "Mad Men" Creator Set for Peacock Series

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Posted in: Peacock, TV | Tagged: eddie murphy, matthew weiner, peacock, The Chairman


The Chairman: Eddie Murphy, "Mad Men" Creator Team for Peacock Series

Eddie Murphy and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner are teaming up for Peacock's The Chairman, Murphy's first run as lead of a dramatic series.


Published Fri, 02 Oct 2026 10:07:10 -0500
by Jeremy Konrad
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Article Summary

  • Eddie Murphy will lead Peacock drama The Chairman, marking his first turn as the star of a streaming TV series.
  • Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner will write and executive produce The Chairman, with story details still under wraps.
  • Murphy also executive produces as 101 Studios and Universal Television back the Peacock series.
  • Best known for SNL, films, and Dreamgirls, Eddie Murphy brings proven comedy and dramatic range to the project.

Eddie Murphy will star in his first streaming series. Peacock has signed the star to headline the cast of the new drama series The Chairman from Mad Men's Matthew Weiner, who will write the scripts and executive produce. Details are, of course, under wraps, Deadline Hollywood reports. Murphy will also executive produce. This will be the first time he has graced television screens since his iconic run on SNL. This will be Weiner's first series since 2018. 101 Studios, the studio behind Yellowstone, and Universal Television are behind the project, the first product of a new deal they made when Taylor Sheridan ended his last year.

Images: NBCUniversal

Eddie Murphy Heads To The Small Screen

Murphy has been starring in streaming movies for a few years now, as his last few films debuted on services like Netflix and Prime Video. He was previously involved in two television series in the 90s: the animated show The PJs for Fox and The Royal Family for CBS. None of that compares to his run on SNL, though, as many consider Eddie Murphy one of the greatest, if not the greatest, cast members in the show's long and storied history. Since leaving, he has starred in numerous films, some of which are among the most iconic comedies ever put on screen.

Actor Eddie Murphy at Tribeca Shrek Forever After premier at Ziegfeld Theater on April 21, 2010 in New York City. Image via Shutterstock/Nata Sha

He has also had a prolific voice-acting career, including voicing Mushu, the dragon, in Disney's Mulan and, most famously, Donkey in the "Shrek" franchise. A new "Shrek" film is slated for release in 2027. He also has dramatic chops, having been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Dreamgirls. So it looks like he will be working with Universal quite a bit for the foreseeable future, and they are smart to keep him in-house.


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