American Classic is headed to MGM+. The network has officially ordered the new comedy series starring Kevin Kline from Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin. Eight episodes have been ordered. EPIX developed the series before it transitioned to MGM+.
The series follows a Broadway star who returns to his hometown after having a meltdown on stage. MGM+ revealed the following about the upcoming series:
“American Classic centers on Broadway star and notorious narcissist Richard Bean, played by Kline, who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns to his hometown and the family-run theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. When he arrives, he is shocked to discover that his father, the former artistic director, has lost a step and that the once-respected theater, now run by his brother Jon, played by Tenney, and his wife (now the town’s mayor) has become, by necessity, a low-rent dinner theater serving roast beef and murder mysteries. He decides to save the town, the theater, and the world by presenting a great American classic on the dinner theater stage, directed by and starring, of course, Richard Bean.”
Michael Wright, head of MGM+, said the following about the series:
“MGM+ is television for movie lovers – classic Hollywood storytelling through a contemporary lens. American Classic, with its sophisticated wit, adult characters, and unique cast, is an exciting addition to that brand. In the capable hands of Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin, alongside stage and screen legend Kevin Kline, American Classic is a hilariously funny and deeply poignant comedy, and we can’t wait to share it with our MGM+ audience.”
Creators Hoffman and Martin also spoke about American Classic. They said, “The two of us have been shaped from childhood by our love of the theater and those magical creatures that inhabit it: true actors. To get to tell a story with new friends and longtime collaborators, among them that grand man of the theater, Kevin Kline (who happens also to be one of the world’s supreme comic talents), and a story about art, community, and family… for us, that’s about as good as it gets.”
The premiere date for the series will be announced later.
What do you think? Do you plan to watch American Classic on MGM+?