Kevin Kline Set to Play Broadway Actor in New MGM+ Series AMERICAN CLASSIC

MGM+ has announced 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, stars Tony-winner Kevin Kline as Broadway actor Richard Bean. Jon Tenney 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. 

Hoffman, Martin, and Ellen Fairey serve as executive producers alongside non-writing EPs Kline, Leslie Urdang, Anthony Bregman, and Miriam Mintz, David Levine and Garrett Kemble for Anonymous Content, and co-EP Tenney. Kevin Cotter will serve as co-producer. The series is scheduled to go into production in 2025 in New Jersey.

“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.”

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.

Photo credit: Brigitte Lacombe