MAD MEN Creator Matthew Weiner Exits Eddie Murphy’s THE CHAIRMAN

Less than a month after being announced, Eddie Murphy’s planned Peacock series THE CHAIRMAN is undergoing a substantial behind-the-scenes change.

According to an October 29 report from TheWrap, Matthew Weiner, the creator of MAD MEN, has departed the developing series following creative differences with its producers. The outlet attributes that explanation to a person with knowledge of the project.

Peacock declined to comment.

Murphy is still attached to star and executive produce, according to the report. A replacement creative team is reportedly in place, with the writers’ room expected to pause for approximately two weeks.

The identities of the new creative leadership have not been publicly established in the reviewed reporting. The change matters because the collaboration between Murphy and Weiner was central to the project’s announcement.

Murphy’s move into live-action scripted television was already notable; joining forces with the creator of one of television’s most influential dramas gave the series an especially distinctive pitch.

Now THE CHAIRMAN will have to find its voice under different leadership. There is no announced premiere date, and this reported departure is not a cancellation.

For now, the series remains a developing project rather than a confirmed addition to Peacock’s release calendar.