Apple TV+ has halted production for its upcoming untitled “brothers” comedy starring Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, The Lost Bus) and Woody Harrelson (True Detective, Natural Born Killers). Here’s what happened.
Creative differences on season conclusion halt production
According to an exclusive report by Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, filming on the project was suspended late last week, with the cast sent home.
The production hiccup is due to the departure of showrunner David West Read (Schitt’s Creek, The Big Door Prize), after creative disagreements over how to wrap the season.
Eight of the show’s 10 planned episodes have already been shot, but Deadline says Apple and Skydance Television are now in talks with Lee Eisenberg (Jury Duty, Lessons in Chemistry) to step in and oversee the final two episodes and likely some reshoots.
A tongue-in-cheek take on the duo’s real-life friendship
Described as a heartfelt, odd-couple-style comedy, the show follows the two friends as their families attempt to live together on McConaughey’s ranch in Texas, a setup that proves challenging to their famously quirky bond.
While creative turnover isn’t unusual in TV, this one comes with extra attention given the nature of the project: The series is loosely inspired by the real-life friendship between McConaughey and Harrelson, who are also executive producers. So the creative direction for the finale is naturally a particularly sensitive topic.
There’s no official timeline for when production will resume, with Deadline’s sources saying the new showrunner will first take some time to recalibrate the show’s creative direction. As of now, Apple and Skydance have declined to comment.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, The Morning Show, Shrinking and Silo.
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