Eddie Murphy is taking a break from movies to star in a scripted television series for the first time.
Peacock recently announced the actor and comedian will lead the cast of drama series The Chairman and serve as a producer.
The project marks the Emmy-winning star’s first regular TV role since he left NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 1984.
For now, the streamer is keeping details about the show under wraps, including what it’s about and what role Murphy will play.
Related: Eddie Murphy Names His Best and Worst Movies Including ‘Norbit’
What we do know is the series comes from award-winning Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner and it’s currently in development.
In addition to creating and serving as showrunner on Mad Men, Weiner worked as an executive producer and writer on The Sopranos.
Weiner will produce The Chairman alongside Murphy. The series comes from 101 Studios and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
The drama marks the first project between NBCUniversal, 101 Studios CEO David Glasser, and their longtime collaborator Chris McCarthy under McCarthy’s overall deal with NBCUniversal.
For Murphy, the project would add another chapter to a career that spans sketch comedy, blockbuster movies, animation and dramatic performances. His TV credits also include serving as an executive producer of animated Fox series The PJs.
On the big screen, Murphy had roles in Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Shrek and Dreamgirls. His performance in Dreamgirls earned him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
During an August 2025 interview with Complex, Murphy named those four films as the projects he was most proud of.
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