Premium linear channel and streaming service MGM+ announced today an eight-episode series order for American Classic, a half-hour comedy series from co-creators Michael Hoffman (Soapdish, Restoration, The Last Station) and Bob Martin (The Prom, Slings and Arrows). The series, which will debut with eight episodes, from FIFTH SEASON as the studio with Mar-Key Pictures, Likely Story, and Anonymous Content producing. Kevin Kline (Disclaimer), who won an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor in A Fish Called Wanda, will star as “Richard Bean.” Jon Tenney (The Closer, Scandal) will co-star as “Jon Bean,” and Hoffman will direct the pilot episode.
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.
“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,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+. “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.”
“The two of us have been shaped from childhood by our love of the theater and those magical creatures that inhabit it: true actors,” said Hoffman and Martin. “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.”
Kevin Kline – “Richard Bean”
Over the course of his distinguished career, Kevin Kline has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award®, a SAG Award, three Tony Awards®, four Drama Desk Awards, and two Obie Awards. He has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards®, two BAFTAs, and six Golden Globes. In 2003, he was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.
Kline stars opposite Cate Blanchett in Alfonso Cuarón’s Golden Globe-nominated Apple TV+ limited series Disclaimer, for which he also received an individual nomination as well as a recent SAG Award nomination. He also appears in the upcoming feature A Big, Bold, Beautiful Journey, directed by Kogonada and starring Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Additionally, he voices ‘Mr. Fischoeder’ on the popular animated series Bob’s Burgers and reprised the role in Bob’s Burgers: The Movie.
His most iconic film credits include Sophie’s Choice, The Big Chill, Silverado, Cry Freedom, A Fish Called Wanda, I Love You to Death, Soapdish, Grand Canyon, Dave, In & Out, and The Ice Storm.
Jon Tenney – “Jon Bean”
Jon Tenney has been acting in film, television and theater for over three decades. In film, Tenney starred opposite Helen Hunt in the psychological thriller, I See You, for Netflix in 2023. He starred opposite Annette Bening in The Seagull for Sony Pictures Classics. Other film credits include Tombstone, You Can Count on Me, Albert Brooks’ Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World, Fools Rush In, The Stepfather, Rabbit Hole, The Twilight of the Golds, and Watch It among others.
On television, Tenney earned five SAG Award® nominations for his leading role as “Fritz Howard” opposite Kyra Sedgwick on TNT’s critically acclaimed The Closer. Other television credits include Scandal, True Detective, And Just Like That, Newsroom, The Lincoln Lawyer and Amazon Prime’s Cruel Intentions. In addition, Tenney directed multiple episodes of The Closer and its spin-off Major Crimes. On stage, Tenney starred in the Tony®-winning Broadway revival of The Heiress and last appeared on stage at Lincoln Center in the NY premiere of Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem having come full circle from making his professional stage debut in Mike Nichols’ production of Stoppard’s The Real Thing many moons ago.
Kevin Kline is represented by Berwick & Kovacik and UTA.
Jon Tenney is represented by LINK Entertainment and Gersh.
Michael Hoffman is represented by Timaeus Group and UTA.
Bob Martin is represented by Paradigm and Brian Stern of AGI Entertainment Media & Management.
