Matthew Weiner Exits Peacock's 'The Chairman' With Eddie Murphy

By Marcus Bennett

Matthew Weiner has exited Peacock’s Eddie Murphy drama The Chairman. Variety reported the departure exclusively, citing sources. The project was first reported in the works at Peacock less than a month ago.

Sources cited by Variety attributed the split to “creative differences.” The disagreements were between Weiner and the show’s producers. The report did not specify them further. Murphy serves as a producer as well as the star, Variety reported.

A new showrunning team is already in place. Variety said its members would be announced in the coming days. The writers’ room is on a two-week hiatus while those leads arrive.

Peacock has not announced a series greenlight. Variety’s account separates development from commitment. The project has Murphy as star and producer, an incoming showrunning team and a paused writers’ room, but no final commitment from the streamer to proceed with production.

Exact plot details remain under wraps, Variety reported. If Peacock picks up the series, Murphy would star in his first live-action series since his days as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.

What does this change for Eddie Murphy?

For Murphy, the change concerns leadership rather than his attachment. Variety reported that his producer credit and starring role remain. The two-week pause delays the writers before the new creative leads arrive. No replacement for Weiner was named. The sources did not connect his departure to Murphy’s participation.

Universal Television and 101 Studios will produce The Chairman, Variety reported. David Glasser runs 101 Studios. He also serves as an executive producer of Yellowstone. The report said 101 Studios’ first-look film and television deal with NBCUniversal began in January.

The production structure links Universal Television, 101 Studios’ NBCUniversal agreement and Murphy’s producer role, although Peacock has yet to approve the series. Murphy’s producer credit also places him inside that structure.

Variety reported that The Chairman would be the first project from Chris McCarthy’s NBCUniversal deal. The outlet first reported that agreement in November 2025. McCarthy, the former Paramount boss, holds a consulting role. His consulting work covers NBCUniversal’s relationship with Glasser and 101 Studios.

The arrangement gives McCarthy’s consulting role its first project before Peacock has committed to the series. It links the proposed drama to Glasser’s studio, NBCUniversal and Murphy’s producer role. The report leaves the detailed mechanics of those relationships unspecified.

Weiner created Mad Men, which aired for seven seasons on AMC, Variety noted. The series won 16 Emmy Awards. If The Chairman receives a greenlight, it would mark his first television writing credit since 2018. He created Amazon Prime Video’s The Romanoffs that year.

Weiner’s departure narrows a project built around his return to writing. It does not yet end that return. That return depends on the new team and a Peacock greenlight.

Peacock’s next concrete step is the incoming showrunners’ announcement. The writers’ room remains on its two-week hiatus. No greenlight has been announced. Murphy’s return to a live-action starring series and Weiner’s first writing credit since 2018 remain unresolved.