Since exploding into the public consciousness on “Saturday Night Live,” Eddie Murphy went on to massive success in the movies.
After starring in nearly 50 films since then, Murphy will be returning to television for the first time since the early 1980s.
‘The Chairman’
Deadline is reporting that the star of such big-screen hits as “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Coming to America” has signed on to star in “The Chairman,” an upcoming series for the Peacock streaming service.
This promises to be a departure for the famed comedian, in that the series will be a drama, written and created by “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, who will also be executive producer.
Per the outlet, details about the new series are not yet known. “The Chairman” will be Weiner’s first TV series since his Prime Video anthology series, “The Romanoffs,” which debuted in 2018.
In addition to “Mad Men,” which won 16 Primetime Emmy Awards out of 116 nominations, Weiner was also a writer and exec producer on “The Sopranos.”
A Switch to Streaming
In recent years, Murphy’s film projects have increasingly wound up on streaming services, not the silver screen.
Ever since starring in Netflix feature “Dolemite Is My Name” in 2019, Murphy has also appeared in “Coming 2 America,” “Candy Cane Lane” and “The Pickup” for Prime Video, and “You People” and “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” for Netflix,
“The Chairman” will mark Murphy’s first project for Peacock.
A Rare Foray into Drama
While it remains to be seen whether “The Chairman” will be straight drama or contain some elements of comedy, it would represent one of the few times that Murphy has strayed out of the comedy lane.
He dipped his toe into quasi-dramatic roles in the films “Life” and “Dolemite,” but went full-on dramatic for the little-seen feature “Mr. Church,” which was released in 2016.
However, his best-known dramatic role was as soul singer James “Thunder” Early in “Dreamgirls,” which earned him both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.
A ‘Dreamgirls’ Anecdote
Murphy recalled his experience on “Dreamgirls” during a 2025 appearance on the “360 with Speedy” podcast.
“I did ‘Dreamgirls’ right when I was getting divorced,” Murphy recalled, referencing his split from ex-wife Nicole Murphy after 12 years of marriage.
“I was kind of like on automatic pilot, and I don’t remember a lot of making the movie,” he admitted.
“My Beyoncé memory — and neither one of them knows that I know this — I watched Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, they were in between shots, they were on stage, and Jennifer was new in show business and she had, I guess a finger, right between, was ashy, and she was licking her fingers and getting the ash like that,” said Murphy, demonstrating the movement.
As he recalled, Beyoncé immediately approached Hudson and said, “Ooh girl, don’t do that. I’ll get you some cream.”
“And it was quiet between the two of them, but I saw it,” said Murphy. “And this might be the first time I share that with anyone. That’s my Beyoncé memory.”
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Eddie Murphy to Star in First-Ever Scripted TV Series, New Drama from Creator of ‘Mad Men’