
EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Perkins is set to star opposite Denis Leary in The Moodys (fka A Moody Christmas), Fox’s half-hour holiday event series adaptation of the Australian series. Slated to air in December, the single-camera comedy series hails from CBS TV Studios, which will co-produce with Fox Entertainment.
Written by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill, the six-episode The Moodys centers on the Moodys, including Sean Sr. (Leary), his wife Ann (Perkins), their three grown children and an assorted mix of extended family members who gather for the holidays, with each packing his/her own eccentricities and complications.
Perkins’ Ann is the matriarch of the Moodys, a tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional, family of five, all of whom return home to Chicago for the holidays, hiding secrets from one another.
“I can think of no better foil for Denis Leary than Elizabeth,” said Michael Thorn, President, Entertainment, Fox Entertainment. “She’s got the comedy chops and the gravitas to go toe-to-toe with him in any situation, and I can’t wait to see their chemistry ignite on screen. Here’s to a very Moody Christmas!”
Fox is envisioning this as an ongoing event series franchise with multiple installments featuring the same core cast at important events throughout the Moodys’ lifecycle that could include a family wedding, a family vacation, a funeral and a graduation.
Fisher, Greenberg and Quill executive produce The Moodys with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum of The Tannenbaum Co. as well as Trent O’Donnell and Phil Lloyd, creators of the original series, and Jason Burrows — all three from Jungleboys FTV Pty Limited, the production company behind the Australian series.
Perkins, three-time Emmy nominee for her supporting role on Showtime’s Weeds, most recently was seen opposite Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson in HBO’s limited series Sharp Objects. She’ll next be seen in Apple’s series Truth Be Told, opposite Octavia Spencer and Lizzy Caplan. She also recurs on NBC’s This Is Us and Netflix’s GLOW. Perkins is repped by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
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