Eddie Murphy Drama Sheds Creator Matthew Weiner One Month Into Development

Matthew Weiner has exited the drama series “The Chairman,” a project currently in development at Peacock. Sources indicate that creative differences between the showrunner and the producers drove the decision to part ways. The departure marks a swift change for the project, which was first reported less than a month ago with Eddie Murphy attached to star.

The show’s writers' room has entered a two-week hiatus to allow a new showrunning team to take over. That replacement group is already in place, and the studio plans to announce their names in the coming days. Murphy serves as a producer on the series in addition to his role as the lead actor.

The project is being produced by Universal Television and 101 Studios, a company run by “Yellowstone” executive producer David Glasser. 101 holds a first-look film and television deal with NBCUniversal that began in January. The series will also be the first output from ex-Paramount boss Chris McCarthy’s consulting arrangement at the studio, a deal first reported in November 2025.

If greenlit for a full series, “The Chairman” would represent Murphy’s first live-action starring role since his tenure on “Saturday Night Live.” Exact plot details remain confidential at this stage. The development news follows the 2025 agreement that placed McCarthy in a consulting role regarding the studio’s relationship with Glasser.

Weiner, best known for creating “Mad Men” for AMC, has not held a TV writing credit since 2018. That earlier work was “The Romanoffs” on Amazon Prime Video. The “Mad Men” series ran for seven seasons and collected 16 Emmy Awards. The current shift in creative leadership aims to keep the Murphy-led project on track for future release.