In continuing to expand its roster of creative partners, FOX Entertainment as entered into a broadcast direct deal with acclaimed show creator, writer and producer Justin Adler (Life in Pieces, Maggie), it was announced today by Michael Thorn, President of Scripted Programming, FOX Entertainment.
Under terms of the partnership, Adler will create and develop comedy series that will be owned by FOX Entertainment and produced by its in-house unit, FOX Entertainment Studios. Adler’s broadcast direct deal with FOX Entertainment marks a reunion of sorts. Prior to joining FOX, Thorn was Executive Vice President of Development at 20th Century Fox Television, where he and Cheryl Dolins -- now FOX Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Comedy Programming and Development -- worked closely with Adler.
Regarding the announcement, Thorn said, “With his sharp sense of wit, parody and humor, Justin ranks among today’s great, prolific comedic voices,” said Thorn. “These qualities spectacularly define my past collaborations producing with Justin, including his beloved cross-generational comedy Life in Pieces, so teaming up with him again is more than just rewarding personally, it’s critical to moving the FOX comedy brand forward.”
“It feels like a homecoming to get to work with Michael and Cheryl again and I’m so appreciative,” said Adler. “They've always been such incredibly supportive collaborators and I couldn’t be more excited about this unique opportunity to create directly for the network.”
Adler was most recently in an overall deal with 20th Television, where he created and executive produced Life in Pieces for CBS. He was recently the Showrunner and Executive Producer on Maggie for ABC, which he co-created alongside Maggie Mull. He is repped by Robby Koch and Ken Richman at Hansen Jacobson and UTA.
Adler joins a fast-growing pool of high-profile creatives who have recently closed broadcast direct deals with FOX. Earlier this week, the company announced a direct deal with Emmy and Grammy Award-winning producer, director, actor and recording artist Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (Power, For Life). In December, FOX Entertainment and Academy Award winning filmmaker Rodney Rothman (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and Adam Rosenberg entered into an agreement to develop animated programming. Also last year, FOX signed broadcast direct deals with producers Carol Mendelsohn (CSI) and Julie Weitz, and writer/producer/director McG (Supernatural, Lethal Weapon, We Are Marshall). FOX’s upcoming animated comedy, Krapopolis, from Emmy Award-winning creator Dan Harmon, is an outgrowth of his broadcast direct deal that was announced in 2020.
About FOX Entertainment
With a legacy spanning more than 35 years, FOX Entertainment is one of the world’s most recognizable media brands and a prolific content producer across its iconic broadcast network and both owned and third-party streaming platforms. Known for its independent, innovative spirit and provocative, groundbreaking storytelling, the company was reinvented in 2019 with the formation of FOX Entertainment. While maintaining its leadership in broadcast television (9-1-1, The Simpsons, The Cleaning Lady, Hell’s Kitchen, LEGO Masters), the company is actively building a portfolio of businesses and library of owned original content. To date, FOX Entertainment’s long-term growth strategy has included the acquisitions of award-winning animation studio Bento Box Entertainment (Bob’s Burgers, The Great North, Krapopolis, Grimsburg), entertainment platform TMZ, and global production studio MarVista Entertainment (The Way Home), as well as the formation of the culinary and lifestyle content venture Studio Ramsay Global (Next Level Chef, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars) in partnership with Gordon Ramsay. The company also established its in-house unscripted studio FOX Alternative Entertainment (The Masked Singer, I Can See Your Voice, Name That Tune), FOX Entertainment Studios (Animal Control) to develop scripted content and worldwide content sales unit FOX Entertainment Global.