Rare comedy project for MGM+ follows a failing Broadway star who returns to his hometown

MGM+ has linked up with Fifth Season on a half-hour comedy starring Kevin Kline (Disclaimer) and Jon Tenney (The Closer). 

Kevin Kline headshot Photocredit_Brigitte Lacombe

American Classic, which has been created by Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) and Bob Martin (The Prom), follows a Broadway star and notorious narcissist played by Kline who suffers a public meltdown and returns to his hometown theater. 

He finds the once-respected theater - now being run by his brother (played by Tenney) and his wife - in disarray, and decides to put on a show starring himself to revive its fortunes. 

The show was first revealed on a development slate for MGM+ forerunner Epix in 2022, with Fifth Season now joining alongside Mar-Key Pictures, Likely Story and Anonymous Content. 

Jon Tenney Headshot - credit Daniel Reichert.

“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+.  

“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.”